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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Endoscopic Vacuum Therapy for the Treatment of Anastomotic Leakage after Total Gastrectomy with Esophagojejunostomy
Published on: August 22, 2025
Endoscopic Vacuum-Assisted Closure Therapy in Patients with Anastomotic Leakage after Esophagectomy: A Single-Center
Soo Min Noh1, Ji Yong Ahn2, Jeong Hoon Lee2
1Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Digestive Disease Research Institute, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Aim:
To study the efficacy of E-VAC therapy for patients with anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy.
Methods:
Between January 2013 and April 2017, 12 patients underwent E-VAC therapy for the management of postoperative leakage. Their clinical features and endoscopic procedure details, therapy results, adverse events, and survival were investigated.
Results:
All 12 patients were male and the median age was 57 years (interquartile range 51.5-62.8 years). The reasons for esophageal surgery were esophageal cancer (83.3%), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (8.3%), and esophageal diverticulum (8.3%). Prior to E-VAC therapy, 6 patients had undergone failed primary surgical repair and the median duration from esophagectomy to leakage discovery was 13.5 days (IQR 6-207 days). The median duration of E-VAC therapy was 25 days (IQR 13.5-34.8 days) and the average sponge exchange rate was 2.7 times during the treatment period. After E-VAC therapy, 8 patients (66.7%) had complete leakage closure, 3 (25%) had a decreased leakage size, and 1 (8.3%) was unchanged. The three patients with a decreased leakage size after E-VAC therapy were treated with endoscopic and conservative management without further surgery.
Conclusion:
With proper patient selection, E-VAC therapy is a feasible and safe method for the treatment of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy.
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