Surgical anatomy of the supracarinal esophagus based on a minimally invasive approach : vascular and nervous anatomy and technical steps to resection and lymphadenectomy

Background During esophageal dissection and lymphadenectomy of the upper mediastinum by thoracoscopy in prone position, we observed a complex anatomy in which we had to resect the esophagus, dissect vessels and nerves, and take down some of these in order to perform a complete lymphadenectomy. In order to improve the quality of the dissection and standardization of the procedure, we describe the surgical anatomy and steps involved in this procedure.