[Results of esophagus extirpation without thoracotomy]

Between January 1978 and May 1988 229 patients have been treated because of malignant and benign conditions of the oesophagus by oesophagectomy without thoracotomy at the Surgical University Hospital "Doce de Octubre" Madrid. 132 patients suffered from oesophageal carcinoma, 68 from carcinoma of the cardia, 9 from carcinoma of the hypopharynx and 20 from different benign oesophageal diseases. Tumor staging and surgical tactics are described. The postoperative mortality was 6.9%, which could principally be put down to respiratory complications (31.2%). The 5-year survival rate of oesophageal carcinoma was 11.9%, that of cardial carcinoma 48.3%.