Oesophageal Cancer
| Oesophagectomy | ||||||||
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Introduction
A oesophagectomy (removal of all or part of the oesophagus) is performed in cases where the patient is suffering from oesophageal cancer or severe stomach burns.
Several approaches have been described for esophageal resection, but all carry significant morbidity and mortality.
The anatomical situation of the esophagus implies tremendous parietal damage in order to reach the organ (thoracotomy, laparotomy, cervicotomy). The approach itself as well as usually debilitated general condition of the patient (age, alcohol, tobacco) are responsible for this morbidity.
The minimally invasive character of laparoscopy decreases the parietal trauma and therefore theoretically the morbidity while it improves the quality of the resection by a better visibility thanks to the enhanced view offered by the optics.
Since 1991, different video-endoscopic techniques have been proposed without full success (thoracoscopy, laparoscopy).
The trans-hiatal technique that we propose requires 5 trocars in the abdomen and a cervicotomy if the anastomosis is performed in the neck.