[In Process Citation]

Right-sided spontaneous oesophageal rupture developed two days after left pneumonectomy and vomiting. In this extremely rare emergency, we used a transhiatal approach for primary repair of the rupture, combined with right-sided pleural and mediastinal drainage, gastrostomy and feeding jejunostomy. The seven-day barium meal showed healing of the rupture. It was mandatory that contamination of the pneumonectomized left thoracic cavity during rupture closure as well as a contralateral thoracotomy with its respiratory consequences had to be avoided by all means. Reconstruction and reinforcement (with omentum) of the oesophageal wall was achieved without difficulties, but we did not mobilize the oesophagus to avoid rupture of the left-sided mediastinal pleura. After massive haematamesis, a 68-year-old man was admitted for a huge (8×5 cm) mass in the lower-posterior mediastinum at the right side of the vertebra, seen on CT scan. On the barium meal incarcerated hiatal hernia, secondary short oesophagus and intramediastinally penetrating high lesser curvature ulcer was discovered. To reduce the magnitude of intervention one-stage transhiatal approach was decided. Through enlarged hiatus, dissection of incarcerated and firmly adherent hiatal hernia and of the short oesophagus was done. The following step was the removal of an encapsulated, huge lipomatosus mass from the posterior mediastinum, extending high from behind the vertebra, arising from the lesser curvature of the stomach. The lesser curvature ulcer was excised - sutured and a Toupet type (270 posterior) fundoplication was finally carried out. The follow-up was free from recurrence. This experience suggests that for some particular lower posterior mediastinal or esophageal problems, transhiatal access seems to be a useful alternative of traditional mediastinal approaches.