Esophagectomy without thoracotomy in advanced esophageal achalasia

: Patients with advanced achalasia, accompanied by severe complications can be seen only rarely today. In these patients, resection of the esophagus has to be considered. The modern technique of extirpation of the whole thoracic esophagus without thoracotomy is a sparing intervention capable to solve the problem of dysphagia as well as the complications of advanced achalasia. The authors describe their favourable experience with this technique in three patients. The evidence for such radical treatment appears from the clinical picture and the microscopical findings in the resected specimens.