[Apico-thoracic retro-aortic anastomosis in radical operation for esophageal carcinoma]

To evaluate the result of surgical treatment of the middle and upper-middle esophageal carcinoma with a new operation, performing the anastomosis posterior to the aortic arch at the apex of the thoracic cavity.

From April 1996 to May. 2000, 179 patients with esophageal carcinoma were treated. Sixty-eight of these patients (49 in the middle and 19 in the upper-middle segment) were treated by esophogogastrostomy at the top of the chest, posterior to the aortic arch. There were squamous cell carcinoma 50, adenocarcinoma 16, undifferentiated carcinoma 2, including 8 double-primaries. The lesions were stage I 9 and stage II-III 59.

All patients have been alive after follow-up of 2 months to 3 years. Without any positive margins, anastomotic leak or perioperative death, this new method has merits: 1. Length of esophagus resected was maximal through one single incision. It would be especially useful for some of the upper-middle lesions. 2. This new method requires a shorter transposed stomach than that required by the combined triple cervico-thoraco-abdominal approach. 3. As the site of thoracic stomach was on the bed of esophagus, there was less chance of post-operative embarrassment in respiration due to the dilatation of the transpositioned stomach and pylorostenosis, etc. 4. There would be less chance of reflux esophagitis because of the "blocking" by the aortic arch, thereby, the patients life is improved.

This radical operation for esophageal carcinoma with anastomosis at top of the thoracic cavity posterior to the aortic arch, being a newly designed surgical method, is especially useful for carcinoma in the middle and upper-middle esophageal segment.