BACKGROUND Vocal cord paralysis (VCP) is one of the postoperative complications after radical esophagectomy. VCP may also lead to serious morbidities such as respiratory distress and aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, an early diagnosis of VCP is meaningful in the postoperative management of patients undergoing esophagectomy. We evaluated a new practical method for diagnosing postoperative VCP. ...

BACKGROUND Restrictive intraoperative fluid management is increasingly recommended for patients undergoing esophagectomy. Controversy still exists about the impact of postoperative fluid management on perioperative outcome. METHODS We retrospectively examined 335 patients who had undergone esophagectomy for esophageal cancer at the University Hospital Freiburg between 1996 and 2014 to investi...

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate operative benefits of artificial pnuemothorax in thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the left lateral decubitus position. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed short-term surgical outcomes including learning curve of 60 consecutive patients who underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy with artificial pnuemothorax in the left lateral decubitus position between Apr...

The optimal treatment modality for locoregional esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) is still undetermined. This study investigated the treatment modalities affecting survival of patients with ESCC in Taiwan.Data on 6202 patients who underwent treatment for locoregional esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma during 2008 to 2012 in Taiwan were collected from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Patients...

Esophageal cancer has one of the highest malignant potentials of any type of tumor. The 3-field lymph node dissection is the standard procedure in Japan for surgically curable esophageal cancer in the middle or upper thoracic esophagus. Minimally invasive esophagectomy is being increasingly performed in many countries, and several studies report its feasibility and curability; further, the magn...

PURPOSE After esophagectomy and gastric reconstruction for esophageal cancer, patients suffer from various symptoms that can detract from quality of life. Endoscopy is a useful diagnostic tool for evaluating patients after esophagectomy. This observational study was performed to investigate the correlation between symptoms and endoscopic findings one year after esophageal surgery and to assess ...

The management of postoperative leaks into the mediastinum after esophagectomy remains a challenge. We describe our clinical management of this complication through endoscopic transluminal drainage. Between 2008 and 2011, 4 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who underwent McKeown-type esophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy experienced complicated anastomotic fistulae ...

AIM To clarify the clinical significance of definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and CRT followed by esophagectomy for cT4 esophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS The treatment results for cT4 esophageal cancer were examined in 81 patients who received definitive CRT [radiation 50-70 Gy, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil; group I] and 19 patients who underwent esophagectomy after preoperative CRT [4...

Gastrotracheal fistula following open transhiatal esophagectomy (Orringer's technique) for esophageal cancer is an unusual but lethal complication. Surgical intervention with resection of the fistula tract and primary interrupted suturing of gastric and tracheal orifices using a muscle flap interposition has proved to be a successful method. We report the case of a 73-year-old male with an aden...

Acute pancreatitis after esophagectomy is a very rare but fatal complication. This case report describes a 74-year-old man diagnosed with cT2N0M0, cStage IB esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (Union for International Cancer Control, seventh edition). On the basis of the patient's condition, it was decided that he should undergo esophagectomy without thoracotomy. The patient developed pyrexia 3 ...