Totally Endoscopic (Thoracoscopic and Laparoscopic) Radical Esophagectomy with Gastric Tube Reconstruction through a Small Neck Incision: An Early Experience with Thirty Egyptian Patients

Background: Minimally invasive esophagectomy nowadays is replacing the classic open technique. Additional studies are needed to confirm its safety and efficacy. Methods: thirty patients with esophageal carcinoma were enrolled in this study. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and they underwent thoracoscopic and laparoscopic procedures for assessment of resectability. Resectablepatients underwent radical esophagectomy with gastric tube reconstruction through a four-cm neck incision. Results: 17 patients were operable and 13 patients were inoperable. The mean operative time for the whole procedure was 5.97 ± 1.66 hours. The mean blood loss was 250 ± 138.07 cc. The mean overall hospital stay was 17.47 ± 5.49 daysdays. Common postoperative complications included pneumonia (13.3%) pleural effusion (6.7%), cervical anastomotic leakage (10%), and wound infection (13.3%). One patient died in the early postoperative period. Conclusions: we conclude that totallyendoscopic (thoracoscopic and laparoscopic) esophagectomy is feasible and relatively safe technique. Beside its efficacy as an assessment tool, total esophagectomy and lymphadenectomy could be performed in the same time.