Antesternal pharyngogastrostomy by oral insertion of a stapler

Cancer of the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus involve problems such as removal of the cervical region, resection of the esophagus and also esophageal reconstruction. A standard surgical procedure has not been established. In our clinic, surgery is performed by two teams; one for head and neck and the other for the digestive tract. Since 1963, we have performed 22 operations on patients with such cancers; resection of the cancer and reconstruction of the alimentary tract were performed in sixteen 16 patients and palliative operations in six. As procedures of reconstructive surgery, antesternal pharyngogastrostomy was performed in ten patients, and antesternal esophagogastrostomy in one. Six of these reconstructions were carried out with oral insertion of a stapler. In this paper, we present the surgical techniques and some of the problems involved in total esophagectomy without thoracotomy, i.e., blunt dissection of the esophagus and antesternal pharyngogastrostomy, particularly pharyngogastrostomy, using a stapler inserted orally.