Different techniques for creating oesophageal anastomoses. A historical review and personal experience

Among the surgical techniques used to create a reliable oesophageal anastomosis, mention should be made of the handmade (in one or two layers, wire or Vicryl) and the different stapler anastomoses. 41 oesophageal anastomoses were performed by stapler technique between 4 March 1985 and 4 March 1991. The EEA stapler was used in 15, and the SPTU stapler in 26 patients. The average age was 56.8 years overall, 53.6 in the female (7 patients) and 57.4 years in the 34 male patients. Tumours in the middle and lower third of the oesophagus and on the cardia were the indications for resection in 30 instances. Total gastrectomy was performed in 9 patients and oesophageal resection for peptic stricture in 2 cases. Replacement with stomach was carried out after oesophageal resection (17 patients), and with Roux-loop in 24 cases. The EEA anastomoses were not covered by a hand-made layer of interrupted sutures as is compulsory in the case of the SPTU gun. The intraoperative complication rate was 12.2%--two severe complications with the SPTU and 3 mild ones with the EEA (2 cases) and SPTU (1 case) machines. The postoperative complication rate was 17%--the severe ones with the SPTU gun. The only fatal anastomosis insufficiency was observed in this group. 3 of the 41 patients died--a mortality rate of 7.3%--but only one of them was due to technical failure in the SPTU group: 2.4%.

Both the intra- and postoperative complications were more severe with the SPTU technique. The early postoperative complications are closely related to the intraoperative ones. Mortality due to technical failure was only observed in the SPTU group. The EEA stapler gun is superior in every respect to the SPTU sewing-machine. The future belongs to the even more sophisticated bent and modifiable devices. These were used in our Department Between 1992 and 1997, with practically no morbidity and no mortality. Although they are the most expensive of all the possibilities, the low morbidity and mortality rates pay off from the aspects of the short hospital stay and the savings in human life.