One-segment double vascular pedicled free jejunum transfer for the reconstruction of pharyngoesophageal defects

The reported success rates of free jejunal transfer are over 95%, but in cases of postoperative vascular thrombosis, the salvage of jejunal flap is often difficult because of poor ischemic tolerance of the jejunum. To reduce the incidence of jejunal necrosis due to vascular thrombosis to nearly zero, we employed one-segment double vascular pedicled free jejunal transfer. Different from conventional double pedicled free jejunal transfer (transfer of the two jejunal segments by anastomosing two pairs of jejunal root vessels), the arcade vessels are used as an additional feeder after the routine anastomosis of jejunal root vessels in our method. Between December 2004 and January 2006, 20 patients with laryngeal, pharyngeal, or cervical esophageal cancer underwent free jejunal transfer using this method. In all patients, the jejunal flap survived completely without any complication associated with vascular anastomosis or blood circulation of the flap. The disadvantage of this procedure is the approximately 1-hour prolonged operative time. Although we have experienced only 20 cases and not obtained statistically significant validity of this method compared with conventional one, we believe that the concept of our method is one of the help for safer pharyngoesophageal reconstruction, especially in patients with higher risk of vascular thrombosis.