[Changes of vascular reactivity following esophagectomy measured by near-infrared spectroscopy]

We examined the alterations of peripheral vascular responses following ischemic insult during perioperative period of esophagectomy. Increase of palm blood flow after vascular occlusion, i.e., reactive hyperemia (RH), measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was employed to assess forearm vascular responses. The measurements of RH were performed in esophagectomized patients (n = 12) before induction of anesthesia and postoperatively until the next day of extubation in comparison with normal volunteers (n = 11). After esophagectomy, the RH, which was comparable with those in volunteers, was depressed by 50% on 1 POD, and did not recover until the third POD. In particular, patients receiving laparoscopy-assisted surgery showed less decrease of RH than those receiving the standard open laparotomy. These results suggest that vascular responses to increase blood flow against ischemic insult is depressed following esophagectomy.