Surgical prevention of reflux after esophagectomy for cancer

Reflux frequently occurs after a gastric conduit has replaced the resected esophagus. In this Swedish population-based cohort study, the potential antireflux effects of using cervical anastomosis, intrathoracic antireflux anastomosis, or pyloric drainage, and a risk of dysphagia due to cervical anastomosis and intrathoracic antireflux anastomosis were studied.

Patients undergoing esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction in 2001-2005 were included. Reflux symptoms and dysphagia were assessed 6 months and 3 years postoperatively using a validated questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-OES18). The study exposures were cervical anastomosis, antireflux anastomosis, and pyloric drainage procedure. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity-adjusted analyses based on multinomial logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for potential confounding.

A total of 304 patients were included in the study. Adjusted ORs for reflux symptoms were 0.9 (95 % CI 0.3-2.2) for patients with a cervical anastomosis compared to patients with an intrathoracic anastomosis, 0.9 (95 % CI 0.4-2.0) for patients with an antireflux anastomosis versus patients with a conventional anastomosis, and 1.5 (95 % CI 0.9-2.6) for patients after pyloric drainage versus patients without such a pyloric drainage procedure. Dysphagia was not statistically significantly increased after cervical anastomosis or antireflux anastomosis. ORs were virtually similar 3 years after surgery. No interactions were identified. The propensity analyses rendered similar results as the logistic regression models, except for a possibly increased dysphagia with a cervical anastomosis.

Cervical anastomosis, antireflux anastomosis, and pyloric drainage do not seem to prevent reflux symptoms 6 months or 3 years after esophagectomy for cancer with a gastric conduit.