Conduit failure and conduit airway fistula are rare complications after esophagectomy, however they can be catastrophic resulting in high mortality. Survivors can expect a prolonged hospital course with multiple interventions and an extended period of time prior to being able to resume oral nutrition. High index of suspicion can aid in early diagnosis. Conduit failure usually requires a period of proximal esophageal diversion and staged reconstruction. Conduit airway fistulas may be amenable to endoscopic repair but this has a high failure rate and many patients will require surgical repair with closure of the fistula and interposition of vascularized tissue to minimize recurrence.
Objective To explore the feasibility,safety and clinical applicability of combined complete thoracoscopicand laparoscopic esophagectomy for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Methods Clinical data of 34 patients with esophageal carcinoma who underwent combined complete thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy in the Departmentof Thoracic Surgery of our hospital from January 2012 to June 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 33 males and1 female with their age of 63 (41-76) years. Results One patient received conversion to laparotomy and 1 patient diedpostoperatively. Mean operation time was 362.1 (300-560) minutes,including 90.6 (60-220) minutes for thoracoscopicprocedure in 34 patients and 61.1 (45-85) minutes for laparoscopic procedure in 33 patients. Mean intraoperative blood loss was 206.5 (100-500) ml. Average number of dissected lymph nodes was 18.0 (13-31) for each patient with positivemetastatic rate of 44.1% (15/34). Postoperative pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma in 33 patients and smallcell carcinoma in 1 patient. Postoperative pathological staging was stageⅠB in 1 patient,stageⅡA in 1 patient,stageⅡB in 15 patients,stageⅢA in 11 patients,stageⅢB in 3 patients and stageⅢC in 3 patients. Postoperative hospital stay was 15.2 (6-35) days. Two patients received bedside bronchoscopic sputum suction. Postoperative complications occurred in32.4% (11/34) of all patients,including pulmonary infection in 4 patients (11.8%),respiratory failure in 2 patients (5.9%),chylothorax in 1 patient (2.9%),cervical anastomotic leak in 4 patients (11.8%) and hoarseness in 2 patients (5.9%). We followed up 33 patients for 1-16 months. Two died,Two were lost. The other 29 patients survived. Conclusion Combined complete thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy is a minimally invasive,feasible and safe surgical procedure for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma with quick postoperative recovery,and is worthy of furtherclinical application.
Abstract: Objective To explore the value of serum Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1)for the early diagnosis of esophageal cancer, and provide theoretical evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer. Methods A total of 145 patients who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University between October 2009 and April 2011 were included in this study and divided into four groups. There were 72 patients in the esophageal cancer group (54 males and 18 females with their median age of 60.4 years),13 patients in the precancerosis group (9 males and 4 females with their median age of 58.6 years),30 patients in the benign esophageal lesion group (23 males and 7 females with their median age of 56.4 years),and 30 healthy people in the volunteer group (19 males and 11 females with their median age of 58.6 years). Serum DKK1 protein concentration was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was drawn to determine the cutoff level with optimal diagnostic accuracy. Results Serum DKK1 protein levels were significantly higher in the esophageal cancer group and precancerosis group than those in the volunteer group and benign esophageal lesion group [(37.5±2.8) μg/L, (19.7±2.7) μg/L vs. (5.7±0.8) μg/L, (6.5±0.8) μg/L,t=47.391, P<0.05]. There was no statistical difference in serum DKK1 protein level between the volunteer group and benign esophageal lesion group [(6.5±0.8) μg/L vs. (5.7±0.8) μg/L, t=4.215,P=0.374]. When the level of serum DKK1 protein was 13.4 μg/L, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of esophageal cancer were 74.1% and 96.7%, respectively. Conclusion Overexpression of serum DKK1 protein could be related to the pathogenesis and progression of esophageal cancer. DKK1 protein may be a potential serologic biomarker for the early diagnosis of esophageal cancer.
目的 评价国产吻合器和闭合器在食管癌消化道重建术中的应用价值。 方法 回顾性分析2005年3月-2008年4月期间收治的387例食管癌手术患者的临床资料,根据不同消化道重建方式分为手工吻合组(n=172)和器械吻合组(n=215),对两组患者吻合时间、术中出血量及术后并发症发生情况进行对比分析。 结果 全组无手术死亡。器械吻合组和手工吻合组术中出血量的差别无统计学意义(Pgt;0.05),但前者的吻合时间、住院时间均少于后者(Plt;0.05)。手工吻合组术后吻合口出血多于器械吻合组(5.2%比1.4%,Plt;0.05),发生吻合口漏亦多于器械吻合组(6.4%比2.8%,Plt;0.05)。随访1.5~2年,排除失访患者后,器械吻合组吻合口狭窄发生率低于手工吻合组(4.6%比10.3%,Plt;0.05)。 结论 国产吻合器与和缝合器用于食管癌的消化道重建安全有效,值得在基层医院推广应用。