We describe a giant gastric phytobezoar in a child with repaired congenital esophageal atresia. At age two, a gastric interposition (pull-up) procedure was performed for severe and recurrent esophageal strictures. For 12 months post-gastric interposition, he experienced frequent respiratory illnesses requiring hospital admissions but it was not initially appreciated that these episodes were lik...

We describe the case of a patient successfully reconstructed with laparoscopic retrosternal gastric pull-up after esophagectomy for unresectable posterior mediastinal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, eroding into the esophagus and compressing the airways. A partial esophagectomy with esophagostomy was performed for treatment of esophageal pleural fistula and empyema, while the airways were m...

Background. Gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) that are predominantly endophytic or in anatomically complex locations pose a challenge for laparoscopic wedge resection; however, endoscopic resection can be associated with a positive deep margin given the fourth-layer origin of the tumors. Methods. Patients at two tertiary care academic medical centers with gastric GISTs in difficul...

Restoration of voice and speech in patients with gastric pull-up presents a formidable challenge, and many of these patients are left at best with a poorly functional electrolaryngeal speech. To improve this condition, a tracheogastric puncture stented with a biflanged self-retaining Groningen voice button was accomplished, resulting in gastric mucosa vibrations during exhalatory phase. The bio...

The objective of this article is to review results of one surgical team for gastric pull-up reconstruction for carcinoma of the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus after pharyngolaryngo-esophagectomy in small thoracic unit. Between July, 2004 and December 2005, four patients underwent pharyngolaryngo-esophagectomy and gastric pull-up reconstruction for carcinoma of hypopharynx and esophagus. The...

BACKGROUND Reports of esophageal anastomotic complications often involve more gastric than colonic reconstructions and are incomplete because of fragmented followup by physicians unfamiliar with the surgical procedure. STUDY DESIGN Three hundred ninety-three consecutive esophagectomy patients had prevalence and risk factors determined for graft ischemia and anastomotic leak; 363 of these pati...

Approximately 20% of caustic ingestions result in some degree of esophageal injury. Alkaline materials are the most frequent corrosive materials ingested.     The physical form and PH of ingested materials play a critical role in the site and type of gastrointestinal injury (PH > 12 or PH < 1.5, crystalline drain cleaners). Unlike Alkaline solutions, strong acids are bitter, burn on contact and...