Diseases of the esophagus : official journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus
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Esophagectomy needs experienced surgical techniques and a well-trained perioperative care team. There are now many reports that the mortality rate after esophagectomy is higher in those hospitals with a low volume of esophagectomy and/or low surgeon's volume. The purpose of this study is to decide the respective numbers of esophagectomy operations per year to define low-volume and high-volume hospitals in Japan. ⋯ A hospital with 40 or more esophagectomy operations per year was classified as a high-volume hospital. Concerning the number of esophagectomy operations performed per year in Japan, low-volume hospitals are defined as those where esophagectomy is performed less than five times per year, and high-volume hospitals are defined as those where esophagectomy is performed 40 or more times per year. If medical policy in Japan aims to further decrease the mortality after esophagectomy, then esophagectomy operations should be limited in these identified low-volume hospitals.
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Esophageal perforation is a difficult problem in thoracic surgery. Esophageal perforations can be spontaneous, iatrogenic, or malignant. We report two cases of esophageal perforations caused by thoracic osteophytes and different management strategies leading to successful outcomes. ⋯ The perforation was closed in layers and the osteophyte was trimmed. Both patients recovered well. Thoracic osteophytes are a rare cause of esophageal perforations and a high index of suspicion is required in patients with osteoarthritis who present with esophageal perforations.
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The invasion depth of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is important in determining therapeutic strategy. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the clinical utility of magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging compared with that of non-magnifying high-resolution endoscopy or high-frequency endoscopic ultrasonography in predicting the depth of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The techniques were carried out in 72 patients with 101 superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, which were then resected by either endoscopic mucosal resection or esophagectomy. ⋯ There were no statistically significant differences among the three endoscopic techniques. Clinical utility of magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging does not seem to be significantly different from that of non-magnifying high-resolution endoscopy or high-frequency endoscopic ultrasonography in predicting the depth of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging may have potential to reduce overestimation risks of non-magnifying high-resolution endoscopy or high-frequency endoscopic ultrasonography.
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Comparative Study
Angleplasty in gastric tube reconstruction after esophagectomy.
Anastomotic leakage after radical esophagectomy is mostly caused by the hypoxia and high tension at the esophagogastric anastomotic site. Here, we introduce a new surgical technique, 'Angleplasty,' to enable the tensionless anastomosis at a highly oxygenic site of gastric conduit. ⋯ With this maneuver, the lesser curvature of the gastric roll is significantly elongated and the anastomosis site of the gastric conduit can be moved more distal on the greater curvature of the stomach where it is expected to receive more oxygen supply. This technique takes only several minutes, but provides highly favorable conditions for esophagogastric anastomosis and thus is clinically useful to reduce the risk of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy.
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Greater than 50% of patients with esophageal carcinoma are found to be incurable at the time of diagnosis, leaving only palliative options. Self-expanding metal stents (SEMs) are effective for relieving symptoms and complications associated with esophageal carcinoma and improving quality of life. We undertook a retrospective analysis to evaluate the experience of palliative esophageal stenting for symptomatic malignant dysphagia in our institution over a period of 7 years. ⋯ There is no significant difference in complications or survival when using endoscopic or radiologic methods to deploy SEMs in patients with inoperable esophageal cancer. Mortality is low; however, the morbidity rate is significant. Patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy, in addition to stenting, survived significantly longer than those with a stent only.