[Fundus rotation gastroplasty: fewer cervical suture failures after esophagectomy?]

Cervical leakage, occurring on average in 20-50% of the patients, is one of the major causes of morbidity following oesophagectomy for cancer. We report on a new technique of gastroplasty, namely fundus rotation gastroplasty which was used in 53 patients. There were 49 patients with oesophageal cancer and 4 with benign lesions. Hospital mortality was 5.7% (3/53) and the leakage rate 7.5% (4/53). The advantages of fundus rotation gastroplasty over conventional gastroplasty are the better blood supply and the greater length of the gastric tube. Controlled clinical trials will be necessary to confirm the advantages of fundus rotation gastroplasty versus conventional gastroplasty.