OBJECTIVE Patients with advanced hypopharyngeal or cervical esophageal cancer have a comparatively high risk of also developing thoracic esophageal cancer. Pharyngolaryngectomy with total esophagectomy is highly invasive, and few reports about it exist. We examined the postoperative complications and respective countermeasures and prognoses of patients who underwent pharyngolaryngectomy with to...

The objective here is to determine the incidence of atrial fibrillation after video-assisted thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy (VATE) and determine whether VATE reduces incidence of atrial fibrillation compared with open Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy (OE). We conducted a retrospective study to identify patients undergoing IvorLewis esophagectomy who were in sinus rhythm preoperatively and recei...

BACKGROUND Bowel reconstruction after subtotal esophagectomy represents a problem when a previous distal gastrectomy was performed: usually the colon or jejunum is used. METHODS In a 10 year period 126 patients with primary esophageal cancer underwent esophageal resection in our Department. Surgical procedures were 57% two-phase subtotal oesophagectomy, 23% transhiatal, 9% stripping, 10 three...

BACKGROUND Two common procedures for esophageal resection are Ivor Lewis esophagectomy and transhiatal esophagectomy. Both procedures have high morbidity rates of 20-46%. Minimally invasive esophagectomy has been introduced to decrease morbidity. We report initial experience of MIE to determine the morbidity and mortality associated with this procedure during learning phase. MATERIAL AND METH...

Introduction: Minimally invasive esophage-ctomy for esophageal cancer is the surgical treatment-of-choice, and comprises both thoracoscopy and laparoscopy. The risk of hypoxemia arises during one-lung ventilation in the thoracoscopy stage, especially for patients with reduced lung function, and thus poses significant threat to the surgical outcome. This case report aims to demonstrate one possi...

OBJECTIVE To study the differences in short and long-term outcomes of transthoracic and transhiatal esophagectomy for cancer. BACKGROUND Studies have compared transthoracic with transhiatal esophagectomy with varying results. Previous systematic reviews (1999, 2001) do not include the latest randomized controlled trials. METHODS Systematic review of English-language studies comparing transt...

Background—Esophagectomy is a complex operation and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In an attempt to lower morbidity, we have adopted a minimally invasive approach to esophagectomy. Objectives—Our primary objective was to evaluate the outcomes of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in a large group of patients. Our secondary objective was to compare the modified McKeo...

PURPOSE Arrhythmias after an esophagectomy (most commonly atrial fibrillation) are a significant contributing factor to patient morbidity. However, the significance of an intraoperative arrhythmia is not completely understood. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the occurrence and risk factors for developing intraoperative arrhythmias in patients undergoing an esophagectomy. ...

Axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) from esophageal cancer is rare. Its prognosis and effective treatments remain unknown. Between 1997 and 2005, esophagectomy was performed in 361 patients with esophageal cancer in our hospital. ALNM was identified in four patients (1.1%). All patients had left ALNM with ipsilateral left supraclavicular lymph node metastasis. In two patients ALNM developed a...

BACKGROUND After esophagectomy a swallowing abnormality is the predominant symptom for esophageal cancer. The aims of this study were to examine (i) oropharyngeal swallowing by comparing pre- and postoperative period, and (ii) the relationship between oropharyngeal swallowing and the alimentary reconstruction route after esophagectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 27 patients in the uprigh...