ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of lymphadenectomy in different regions for esophageal squamous cell carcinomas located differently according to the lymph node grouping by Chinese expert consensus. MethodsThe medical records of 1 061 patients (886 males and 175 females with a median age of 60 (54, 65) years with esophageal cancer from March 2011 to December 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to the pathological report, the lymph nodes were regrouped according to the Chinese lymph nodes grouping standard of esophageal cancer. The metastasis rate of each group of lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate of metastatic patients and efficacy index (EI) were calculated. ResultsThe upper thoracic esophageal cancer mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C201-203 groups. The middle and lower thoracic tumors mainly metastasized to the lymph nodes of C205-207 groups. The lower thoracic tumor had a higher rate of metastasis to the abdominal lymph nodes. According to the metastasis rate, the mediastinal lymph nodes were divided into three regions: an upper mediastinum (C201-204), a middle mediastinum (C205-206), and a lower mediastinum (C207-209). The EIs of lymph nodes of C201-203 and C205-207 groups were higher. For patients with C201-207 groups metastasis, the 5-year survival rates ranged from 13.39% to 21.60%. For patients with positive lymph nodes in each region, tumors at different primary locations had no statistical difference in long-term survival (P>0.05). Patients with lymph nodes of C205 group in the upper thoracic tumors had lower EI and those in the middle and lower thoracic tumors had higher EIs. ConclusionThe effect of lymph node dissection in each area varies with the location of the tumor. No matter where the tumor is, it is necessary to dissect the upper mediastinal lymph nodes, especially the lymph nodes adjacent to the left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves. Group C205 should be classified into the lower mediastinal lymph nodes.
ObjectiveTo study the gastric function of vagus-preserved patients after esophagectomy, and to evaluate the significance of keeping vagus and the value of gastric tube with vagal-sparing esophagectomy. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 15 patients in West China Hospital between June 2012 and January 2014. They were divided into two groups. There were 8 patients with 6 males and 2 females with average age of 57 years ranging from 44 to 77 years, in a gastric pull-up group with vagal-sparing esophagectomy. There were 7 patients with 6 males and 1 female at average age of 60 years ranging from 50 to 70 years in a gastric tube group with vagal-sparing esophagectomy. We chose 8 patients with 7 males and 1 female at average age of 62 years ranging from 47 to 69 years as a control group with a classical esophagectomy and a gastric pull-up. Then we evaluated the function of the vagal nerves and gastric reservoir after vagal-sparing esophagectomy. ResultsAll 23 surgeries were successfully performed. In subjective symptom, diarrhea was rare in the vagal-sparing esophagectomy patients and statistically more common in patients with a standard esophagectomy. Dumping and early satisfaction situation were similar among 3 groups. The 60 minutes gastric emptying rate was much better in the vagal-sparing group than that in the control group. And the esophageal manometry of the vagal-sparing group was statistically hihger than that in the control group. The gastroscope showed that the incidence of reflux esophagitis in the vagal-sparing group was statistically lower than that of the control group. There was no statistic difference in weight in the vagus-preserved group before and after the surgery while the weight decreased statistically in the control group. ConclusionsFor both esophageal replacement and gastric tube, preserving the vagus can reduce the functional dyspepsia after esophagectomy.
Abstract: Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy and intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomosis for the treatment of esophageal cancer. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 40 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital of Capital Medical University from March 2010 to March 2012. All the 40 patients were divided into 2 groups according to their different surgical approach， including 22 patients who underwent combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy and intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomosis （minimally invasive surgery group） and 18 patients who underwent Ivor Lewis esophagectomy （open surgery group）. Operation time， intra-operative blood loss， lymph node dissection， postoperative morbidity， hospital stay and cost were compared between the two groups. Results The hospitalcost of minimally invasive surgery group was significantly higher than that of open surgery group ［（78 181.5±8 958.8） yuan vs. （61 717.2±35 159.4） yuan， Z=4.078，P=0.000］ . There was no statistical difference in operation time ［（292.0±74.8） min vs. （256.1±41.0） min， t=1.838，P=0.074］， intra-operative blood loss ［（447.7±597.0） ml vs. （305.6±125.9） ml， Z=0.401，P=0.688］， total number of dissected lymph nodes （230 vs. 215， t=1.714，P=0.095）， postoperative morbidity ［22.7% （5/22） vs. 33.3% （6/18）， χ2=0.559，P=0.498］， time to resume oral intake ［（8.5±3.5） d vs. （11.1±9.6） d，t=1.202，P=0.237］， and postoperative hospital stay ［（11.6±5.7） d vs. （13.3±9.4） d， t=0.680， P=0.501）］ between the two groups. The minimally invasive surgery group was further divided into two subgroups according to operation date， including 10 patients in the early stage subgroup and 12 patients in the later stage subgroup. The operation time of the later stage subgroup was significantly shorter than that of the early stage subgroup ［（262.9±64.9） min vs. （327.5±73.0） min， t=2.197， P=0.040］， but not statistically different from that of the open surgery group ［（262.9±64.9） min vs. （256.1 ±41.0） min， t=0.353， P=0.727］. Intra-operative blood loss of the later stage subgroup was significantly reduced compared with those of the early stage subgroup ［（220.8±149.9） ml vs. （720.0±808.0） ml， Z=3.279， P=0.001)］ and the open surgery group ［（220.8±149.9）ml vs. （305.6±125.9） ml， Z=2.089， P=0.037）］. Conclusion Combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy and intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomosis is a safe and effective surgical procedure for the treatment of esophageal cancer.
Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of thoraco-laparoscopy combined with Ivor Lewis surgery versus thoraco-laparoscopy combined with McKeown surgery in the treatment of esophageal carcinoma. MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang database, VIP database and CNKI were searched by computer for the relevant literature comparing the efficacy and safety of Ivor Lewis surgery and McKeown surgery in the treatment of esophageal carcinoma from inception to January 2022. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of cohort studies, and the Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of randomized controlled studies. Review Manager 5.4 software was utilized to perform a meta-analysis of the literature. ResultsA total of 33 articles were included, which consisted of 26 retrospective cohort studies, 3 prospective cohort studies and 4 randomized controlled trials. There were 11 518 patients in total, including 5 454 patients receiving Ivor Lewis surgery and 6064 patients receiving McKeown surgery. NOS score was≥7 points. Meta-analysis showed that, in comparison to the McKeown surgery, the Ivor Lewis surgery had shorter operative time (MD=–19.61, 95%CI –30.20 to –9.02, P<0.001), shorter postoperative hospital stay (MD=–1.15, 95%CI –1.43 to –0.87, P<0.001), lower mortality rate during hospitalization or 30 days postoperatively (OR=0.37, 95%CI 0.20 to 0.71, P=0.003), and lower incidence of total postoperative complications (OR=0.36, 95%CI 0.27 to 0.49, P<0.001). The McKeown surgery had an advantage in terms of the number of lymph nodes dissected (MD=–1.25, 95%CI –2.03 to –0.47, P=0.002), postoperative extubation time (MD=0.78, 95%CI 0.37 to 1.19, P<0.001) and 6-month postoperative recurrence rate (OR=1.83, 95%CI 1.41 to 2.39, P<0.001). The differences between the two surgeries were not statistically significant in terms of intraoperative bleeding, postoperative 1 year-, 3 year- and 5 year-overall survival (OS), and impaired gastric emptying (P>0.05). ConclusionCompared with McKeown surgery, Ivor Lewis surgery has shorter operative time, shorter postoperative hospital stay, lower mortality rate during hospitalization or 30 days postoperatively and lower incidence of total postoperative complications. However, in terms of the number of lymph nodes dissected, postoperative extubation time and 6-month postoperative recurrence rate, McKeown surgery has advantages. Both surgeries have comparable results in terms of intraoperative bleeding, postoperative 1 year-, 3 year- and 5 year-OS, and impaired gastric emptying.
With the widespread application of minimally invasive esophagectomy, inflatable video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy (IVMTE) has gradually become one of the alternative surgical methods for transthoracic esophagectomy due to less trama, fewer perioperative complications and better short-term efficacy. However, there is no uniform standard for surgical methods and lymph node dissection in medical centers that perform IVMTE, which affects the standardization and further promotion of IVMTE. Therefore, on the basis of fully consulting domestic and foreign literature, our team proposed an expert consensus focusing on IVMTE, in order to standardize the clinical practice, guarantee the quality of treatment and promote the development of IMVTE.
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of mediastinal drainage tube placed after the esophageal cancer resection with intrathoracic anastomosis on postoperative complications such as anastomotic fistula. MethodsLiterature on the application of mediastinal drainage tubes in esophageal cancer surgery published in databases such as PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, China Biomedical Literature Database, VIP, and Wanfang were searched using English or Chinese, from the establishment of the databases to December 31, 2023. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of the included retrospective studies, the Cochrane Handbook bias risk tool was used to assess the bias risk of randomized controlled trials (RCT), and Review Manager 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 19 retrospective studies and 8 RCT involving 6320 patients were included, with 3257 patients in the observation group (mediastinal drainage tube+closed thoracic drainage tube) and 3063 patients in the control group (closed thoracic drainage tube or single mediastinal drainage tube). The NOS score of the included literature was≥6 points, and one RCT had a low risk of bias and the other RCT had a moderate risk of bias . Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the control group, the observation group had fewer postoperative lung complications [OR=0.44, 95%CI (0.36, 0.53), P<0.001], fewer postoperative cardiac complications [OR=0.40, 95%CI (0.33, 0.49), P<0.001], earlier average diagnosis time of anastomotic fistula [MD=−3.33, 95%CI (−3.95, −2.71), P<0.001], lower inflammation indicators [body temperature: MD=−1.15, 95%CI (−1.36, −0.93), P<0.001; white cell count: MD=−5.62, 95%CI (−7.29, −3.96), P<0.001], and shorter postoperative hospital stay [MD=−15.13, 95%CI (−18.69, −11.56), P<0.001]. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of postoperative anastomotic fistula between the two groups [OR=0.85, 95%CI (0.70, 1.05), P=0.13]. ConclusionPlacing a mediastinal drainage tube cannot reduce the incidence of anastomotic fistula, but it can effectively reduce the incidence of postoperative respiratory and circulatory system complications in patients and improve patients’ prognosis. It can early detect teh anastomotic fistula and fully drain digestive fluid to promote rapid healing of the fistula, alleviate the infection symptoms of postoperative anastomotic fistula, and shorten the hospital stay.
Objective To explore the causes of conversion to thoracotomy in patients with minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in a surgical team, and to obtain a deeper understanding of the timing of conversion in MIE. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent MIE between September 9, 2011 and February 12, 2022 by a single surgical team in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The main influencing factors and perioperative mortality of patients who converted to thoracotomy in this group were analyzed. Results In the cohort of 791 consecutive patients with MIE, there were 520 males and 271 females, including 29 patients of multiple esophageal cancer, 156 patients of upper thoracic cancer, 524 patients of middle thoracic cancer, and 82 patients of lower thoracic cancer. And 46 patients were converted to thoracotomy for different causes. The main causes for thoracotomy were advanced stage tumor (26 patients), anesthesia-related factors (5 patients), extensive thoracic adhesions (6 patients), and accidental injury of important structures (8 patients). There was a statistical difference in the distribution of tumor locations between patients who converted to thoracotomy and the MIE patients (P<0.05). The proportion of multiple and upper thoracic cancer in patients who converted to thoracotomy was higher than that in the MIE patients, while the proportion of lower thoracic cancer was lower than that in the MIE patients. The perioperative mortality of the thoracotomy patients was not significantly different from that of the MIE patients (P=1.000). Conclusion In MIE, advanced-stage tumor, anesthesia-related factors, extensive thoracic adhesions, and accidental injury of important structures are the main causes of conversion to thoracotomy. The rate varies at different tumor locations. Intraoperative conversion to thoracotomy does not affect the perioperative mortality of MIE.
In this review, development and application of the minimally invasive esophagectomy(MIE) for esophageal cancer are discussed including the types of MIE procedures, short- and long- term outcome after MIE; as well the future of MIE is forecasted. Main procedures of MIE performed currently include esophagectomy via thoracoscopy and laparoscopy and cervical esophagogastrosty, Ivor-Lewis MIE via thoracoscopy and laparoscopy, and hiatal MIE. Ivor-Lewis MIE gradually becomes a standard surgical option for the cancer of distal esophagus or esophagogastric junction while the solution of intrathoracic anastomosis via thoracoscopy has achieved. Several methods of intrathoracic anastomosis are reported such as hand-sewn, circular stapler, side-to-side and triangular anastomosis. MIE could decrease operative blood loss, shorten hospital stay and ICU stay, reduce postoperative especially pulmonary complications, and harvest more lymph nodes compared to open esophagectomy. The long-term survival has been proved similar with that after open esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. MIE has developed rapidly in recent years with some aspects in future prospectively: individual MIE treatment and quality of life, fast track after surgery, and robot-assisted MIE, as well the endoscopic submucosal dissection for esophageal cancer is mentioned.
Objective To analyze the risk factors of atrial fibrillation (AF) after radical esophagectomy, providing the basis for prevention and treatment of AF after radical esophagectomy. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of 335 patients' clinical data, who accepted laparoscopic combined thoracic or open radical esophagectomy in the same treatment group at Department of Thoracic Surgery of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between January 2014 and August 2016. There were 262 males and 73 females at age of 65.1 (43-78) years. Results There were 48 of 335 patients with AF within 1 week after surgery. By univariate analysis: age, gender, history of peripheral vascular disease and cardiac stents or angina pectoris, preoperative brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), preoperative left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, operation pattern, intraoperative blood transfusion and lymph nodes and pericardial adhesion were possible risk factors. By multivariate analysis: age, gender, history of cardiac stents or angina pectoris, preoperative BNP, operation pattern, intraoperative blood transfusion and lymph nodes and pericardial adhesion were risk factors. Conclusion The risk factors of AF after radical esophagectomy are age, gender, history of cardiac stents or angina pectoris, preoperative BNP, operation pattern, intraoperative blood transfusion and lymph nodes and pericardial adhesion. Perioperative positive intervention to above factors may reduce the incidence of postoperative AF.
ObjectiveTo compare the clinical efficacy of cone-shaped gastric tube combined with cervical end-to-end stratified manual anastomosis and conventional tubular stomach combined with neck end-to-end mechanical side-to-side anastomosis in thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. MethodsThe clinical data of consecutive patients treated by thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of the First People's Hospital of Neijiang from January 1, 2018 to March 25, 2021 were analyzed. The patients were divided into a cone-shaped gastric tube manual group (treated with cone-shaped gastric tube combined with cervical end-to-end stratified manual anastomosis) and a conventional tubular stomach mechanical group (treated with conventional tubular stomach+end-to-end mechanical side-to-side anastomosis). The anastomotic time, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph node dissection, anastomotic fistula, anastomotic stenosis, anastomotic cost, sternogastric dilatation, gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, and postoperative complications were compared and analyzed between the two groups. ResultsA total of 161 patients were enrolled, including 112 males and 49 females aged 40-82 years. There were 80 patients in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group, and 81 patients in the conventional tubular stomach mechanical group. There was no statistical difference in the intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissected, hoarseness, pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, respiratory failure or chylothorax between the two groups (P>0.05). The anastomosis time of the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group was longer than that of the conventional tubular stomach mechanical group (28.35±3.20 min vs. 14.30±1.26 min, P<0.001), but the anastomotic cost and incidence of thoracogastric dilatation in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group were significantly lower than those of the conventional tubular stomach mechanical group [948.48±70.55 yuan vs. 4 978.76±650.29 yuan, P<0.001; 3 (3.8%) vs. 14 (17.3%), P=0.005]. The incidences of anastomotic fistula and anastomotic stenosis in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group were lower than those in the conventional tubular gastric mechanical group, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The gastroesophageal reflux scores in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group were lower than those in the conventional tubular gastric mechanical group at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after the operation (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that digestive tract reconstruction method was the influencing factor for postoperative thoracogastric dilation, which was reduced in the cone-shaped gastric tube manual group. ConclusionCone-shaped gastric tube combined with cervical end-to-end stratified manual anastomosis can significantly reduce the incidence of thoracogastric dilatation after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer and save hospitalization costs, with mild gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, and it still has certain advantages in reducing postoperative anastomotic fistula and anastomotic stenosis, which is worthy of clinical promotion.