Long-Term Follow-Up After Gastric Reconstruction of the Esophagus

The stomach is one of the most commonly used conduits for esophageal replacement. Restoration of gastrointestinal continuity may be undertaken for a variety of underlying etiologies, including long-gap esophageal atresia in children or benign or malignant disease in adults. Regardless of underling etiology, the replacement esophagus must be able to adequately mimic the native esophagus over the lifetime of the patient. While the literature on long-term follow-up after esophageal replacement is somewhat limited, the published experience does highlight outcomes that result from the act of transposing conduit into the altered physiological environment of the chest. In this chapter we will review these outcomes, with particular focus on the results after gastric pull-up.