Total esophagectomy without thoracotomy: results of a European questionnaire (GEEMO)

The results of a questionnaire answered by the European Members of the GEEMO concerning esophagectomy without thoracotomy are reported and discussed. 172 cases of esophagectomy without thoracotomy following benign lesions and 666 cases following various levels of esophageal neoplasia were grouped in the 26 Centers that have answered the questionnaire amounting to a total of 838 cases. The most frequent indications for benign lesions were as follows: decompensated or relapsed megaesophagus (83 cases), acute or stabilized lesions caused by caustic agents (59 cases), stenoses from gastroesophageal reflux (17 cases), scleroderma (7 cases) and spontaneous or iatrogenic perforation (6 cases). Concerning the esophageal site where the technique was employed with esophageal carcinoma, the most frequent was the cervical (201 cases), then the lower (150 cases), the middle (91 cases) and upper thirds of the esophagus (48 cases). Adenocarcinoma of the cardia seems to be an additional indication for many Surgeons to use esophagectomy without thoracotomy (142 cases). In general, the most frequent intra-surgical complications (from benign and malignant lesions) were as follows: pleural lesions (34.4%), lesions of the left recurrent nerve (7.8%), severe endo-mediastinic hemorrhages (8.5%), tracheo-bronchial (1.5%) and thoracic duct (0.5%) lesions. The intra-operative mortality was 0.36%. The post-operative complications were as follows: pleural effusion (17.8%), anastomotic fistulas (15.2%), hemothorax (5%) and post-operative mortality (10.3%). Cancer of the cervical esophagus and adenocarcinoma of the cardia were considered sensitive to this radical treatment whereas in intra-thoracic cancer it can have only a palliative effect.