Abstract： Objective To investigate the indications， surgical techniques and postoperative complication management of transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy for patients with esophageal cancer. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of 105 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between July 2002 and July 2010， including 28 patients who received video-assisted mediastinoscopy. There were 59 male patients and 46 female patients with their average age of 63 （48-81） years. There were 51 patients with upper thoracic esophageal cancer， 18 patients with middle thoracic esophageal cancer and 36 patients with lower thoracic esophageal cancer. Surgical outcomes and safety were evaluated. Results Mean operation time was 153 （140-210） minutes， mean intraoperative blood loss was 150 （100 to 250） ml， and mean hospital stay was 15 （10-35） days. There was no in-hospital death or residual tumor cells in esophagus stumps. Twenty-seven patients had postoperative complications， including 3 patients with anastomotic leakage at neck， 4 patients with recurrent laryngeal nerve injury， 5 patients with pleural effusion， 2 patients with pneumothorax， 3 patients with pneumonia， 3 patients with arrhythmia， 1 patient with chylothorax， 2 patients with incision infection， 2 patients with delayed gastric emptying， and 2 patients with anastomotic stenosis， who were all cured after treatment. Ninety-seven patients were followed up from 16 months to 5 years， and 8 patients were lost during follow-up. During follow-up， there were 94 patients who had lived for 1 year， 67 patients who had lived for 3 years， and 34 patients who had lived for 5 years postoperatively， and some patients needed further follow-up. Conclusion Transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy is a minimally traumatic procedure and can provide fast postoperative recovery. It is especially suitable for patients with stageⅡor earlier esophageal cancer who can’t tolerate or aren’t suitable for transthoracic esophagectomy.
Objective To assess clinical outcomes of therapeutic video-mediastinoscopy （VMS）. Methods Clinical data of 82 patients undergoing VMS in Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University from December 2008 to October 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them，24 patients received therapeutic VMS，including 18 men and 6 women with their median age of 56 （22-81） years. Three patients underwent operation through a neck incision，4 patients through a parasternal incision，and 17 patients through a lateral intercostal incision. Five patients received local anesthesia and basal anesthesia，and all the other patients received general anesthesia through single-lumen or double-lumen endotracheal intubation. Results Twelve patients with pleural effusion underwent pleural or lung biopsy and talc pleurodesis. Pathology examination showed malignant diseases in 11 patients and tuberculous pleural effusion in 1 patient. The median operation time was 35 （30-50） minutes，and postoperative hospital stay was 3-6 days. These patients were followed up for 1 month without recurrence of pleural effusion. Ten patients with mediastinal mass received pathological diagnosis and complete mass resection with their median operation time of 55 （30-270） minutes and median hospital stay of 7 （5-40） days. Two patients with hyperhidrosis underwent bilateral intercostal VMS sympathectomy. Their operation time was 60 minutes and 50 minutes respectively，and their hospital stay was 3 days. Postoperatively their sweating symptoms obviously resolved. They were followed up for 3 months，and their hands，feet and armpit were warm and dry. There was no in-hospital death in this group. Two patients （8.3%） had postoperative complications including 1 patient with phrenic nerve injury and another patient with pneumonia. Opioid analgesic drugs were not used postoperatively in 9 patients. Conclusion Therapeutic VMS is a safe，effective，minimally invasive and cosmetic procedure，but it is not suitable for resection of a large mediastinal mass.
Objective To compare the different surgical treatment methods of thymoma combined with myasthenia gravis (MG), and to discuss the clinical effectiveness of thoracoscopic combined mediastinoscopic extended thymectomy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 58 patients of thymoma combined with myasthenia gravis in Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital between 2011 and 2016 year. According to the operation method, the patients were divided into three groups including a group A for thoracoscopic thymectomy (n=32), a group B for thoracoscopic combined mediastinoscopic thymectomy (n=15), and a group C for transsternal thymectomy (n=11). The clinical effects were observed and compared. Results In the group A and the group B, the bleeding volume, postoperative hospital stay and other complications were significantly lower than those in the group C with statistical differences (P<0.05). The incidence of myasthenic crisis in the group B (6.7%) was less than that in the group C (36.4 %), but the difference was not statistically different (P=0.058). The operation time of the three groups was 122.0 ± 39.4 min, 130.3 ± 42.5 min, and 142.3 ± 40.8 min respectively with no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The rate of dissection grade in the group B (grade 1, 12 patients, 80%) was significantly greater than that in the group A (grade 1, 14 patients, 43.8%,P<0.05). The effective rate of the group A, the group B, the group C was 84.4%, 93.3% and 90.9%, respectively with no statistical difference between groups (P>0.05). Conclusion The thoracoscopy combined mediastinoscopic thymectomy not only has the advantages of less trauma, quicker recovery and fewer complications, but also can more thoroughly clean the thymus and adipose tissue, which can achieve the same therapeutic effect as the transsternal thymectomy.
ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of 3D single-portal inflatable mediastinoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.MethodsClinical data of 28 patients, including 25 males and 3 females, aged 51-76 years, with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing single-portal inflatable mediastinoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy from June 2018 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods including a 3D mediastinoscopic group (3D group, 10 patients) and a 2D mediastinoscopic group (2D group, 18 patients). The perioperative outcome of the two groups were compared.ResultsCompared with the 2D group, the 3D group had shorter operation time (P=0.017), more lymph nodes resected (P=0.005) and less estimated blood loss (P=0.015). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the main surgeon's vertigo and visual ghosting (P>0.05). The other aspects including the indwelling time, postoperative hospital stay, pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, anastomotic fistula, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were not statistically significant between the two groups (P>0.05).ConclusionThe 3D inflatable mediastinoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, which optimizes the surgical procedures of 2D, is safe and feasible, and is worthy of clinical promotion in the future.
ObjectiveTo investigate the short-term follow-up results of inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy in the treatment of esophageal cancer.MethodsClinical data of 102 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy were enrolled in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2019. Patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods, including a single-port inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy group (group A, n=59, 53 males and 6 females, aged 63.3±7.6 years, ranging from 45 to 75 years) and a video-assisted thoracoscopy combined with laparoscopy group (group B, n=43, 35 males and 8 females, aged 66.7±6.7 years, ranging from 50-82 years). The short-term follow-up results of the two groups were compared.ResultsCompared with the group A, the rate of postoperative pulmonary complication of the group B was significantly lower (18.64% vs. 4.65%, P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in other postoperative complications (P>0.05). The 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year survival rates were 96.61%, 89.83%, and 73.33%, respectively in the group A, and were 95.35%, 93.02%, and 79.17%, respectively in the group B. There was no significant difference in short-term survival rate after operation (P>0.05).ConclusionIn the treatment of esophageal cancer, the incidence of pulmonary complications of inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy is lower than that of traditional video-assisted thoracoscopy combined with laparoscopy, and there is no significant difference in other postoperative complications or short-term survival rate between the two methods. Inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy for radical esophageal cancer is a relatively safe surgical method with good short-term curative effects, and long-term curative effects need to be further tested.
With the widespread application of minimally invasive esophagectomy, inflatable video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy (IVMTE) has gradually become one of the alternative surgical methods for transthoracic esophagectomy due to less trama, fewer perioperative complications and better short-term efficacy. However, there is no uniform standard for surgical methods and lymph node dissection in medical centers that perform IVMTE, which affects the standardization and further promotion of IVMTE. Therefore, on the basis of fully consulting domestic and foreign literature, our team proposed an expert consensus focusing on IVMTE, in order to standardize the clinical practice, guarantee the quality of treatment and promote the development of IMVTE.
Objective To compare the short-term efficacy and safety of inflatable video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy (IVMTE) and minimally invasive transthoracic esophagectomy (MITE) in the treatment of esophageal cancer. MethodsThe Cochrane Library, EMbase, PubMed, Wanfang Database, VIP, and CNKI were searched. Literatures related to the short-term efficacy and safety of IVMTE and MITE in the treatment of esophageal neoplasms published from the establishment of the database to December 2023 were searched and meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan5.4. Quality of case control study or cohort study was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and quality of randomized controlled trial was assessed by Cochrane Handbook. Results A total of 14 studies (12 case control studies and 1 prospective cohort study wiht NOS score more than 7 points and 1 randomized controlled trial wiht low bias risk) were included, comprising 1 163 patients, with 525 in the IVMTE group and 638 in the MITE group. The results of meta-analysis revealed that the IVMTE group exhibited significantly shorter operative time [MD=−60.42, 95%CI (−83.78, −37.07), P<0.001] and postoperative hospital stay [MD=−2.44, 95%CI (−2.93, −1.94), P<0.01] compared to the MITE group. Moreover, intraoperative blood loss [MD=−34.67, 95%CI (−59.11, −10.23), P=0.005], three-day postoperative drainage [MD=−286.66, 95%CI (−469.93, −103.40), P=0.002], incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection [OR=0.38, 95%CI (0.26, 0.56), P<0.001], lung leakage rate [OR=0.12, 95% CI (0.02, 0.63), P=0.01] and overall complication rate [MD=0.41, 95%CI (0.22, 0.75), P=0.004] were all lower in the IVMTE group compared to those in the MITE group. However, the MITE technique demonstrated superiority over IVMTE regarding intraoperative lymph dissection number [MD=−3.52, 95%CI (−6.36, –0.68), P=0.02] and intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve injury [OR=1.78, 95%CI (1.22, 2.60), P=0.003]. No significant difference was observed between both methods concerning anastomotic fistula. Conclusion Compared to MITE, IVMTE has advantages such as shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, shorter hospital stay, less postoperative drainage within 3 days, and a lower incidence of pulmonary complications. In terms of laryngeal recurrent nerve injury and lymphatic dissection, MITE operation offers more benefits.
ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of mediastinoscope-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy (MATHE) and functional minimally invasive esophagectomy (FMIE) for esophageal cancer. MethodsPatients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy at Jining No.1 Hospital from March 2018 to September 2022 were retrospectively included. The patients were divided into a MATHE group and a FMIE group according to the procedures. The patients were matched via propensity score matching (PSM) with a ratio of 1 : 1 and a caliper value of 0.2. The clinical data of the patients were compared after the matching. ResultsA total of 73 patients were include in the study, including 54 males and 19 females, with an average age of (65.12±7.87) years. There were 37 patients in the MATHE group and 36 patients in the FMIE group. Thirty pairs were successfully matched. Compared with the FMIE group, MATHE group had shorter operation time (P=0.022), lower postoperative 24 h pain score (P=0.031), and less drainage on postoperative 1-3 days (P<0.001). FMIE group had more lymph node dissection (P<0.001), lower incidence of postoperative hoarseness (P=0.038), lower white blood cell and neutrophil counts on postoperative 1 day (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the bleeding volume, R0 resection, hospital mortality, postoperative hospital stay, anastomotic leak, chylothorax, or pulmonary infection between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionCompared with the FMIE, MATHE has shorter operation time, less postoperative pain and drainage, but removes less lymph nodes, which is deficient in oncology. For some special patients such as those with early cancer or extensive pleural adhesions, MATHE may be a suitable surgical method.