Minimally Invasive Resection of Benign Esophageal Lesions

Benign esophageal lesions include a wide variety of rare neoplasms, polyps, and cysts. In general, these lesions are asymptomatic and have little clinical importance. However, on occasion these lesions become symptomatic due to esophageal obstruction, airway obstruction, or compression of mediastinal structures. In these cases, as well as cases when it is unclear if the lesion is malignant or benign, surgical resection is recommended. Resection is most often performed by extramucosal enucleation, a procedure that is oftentimes well-suited for a minimally invasive approach. Here we discuss the general approach and operative techniques used for minimally invasive resection of benign esophageal lesions.