부산대학교 도서관

Background Totally minimally invasive oesophagectomy although challenging to perform has garnered popularity in the surgical treatment of oesophageal cancer. Advanced laparoscopic surgical skills are needed with the construction of the intra-thoracic anastomosis in the case of a 2-stage procedure being the rate-limiting step. We aim to report our initial experience and short-term outcomes of totally minimally invasive 3-stage and 2-stage oesophagectomies for cancer. Methods From January 2016 when the minimally invasive oesophagectomy programme was implemented in our Unit, to December 2017, 65 consecutive cases underwent either a 2-stage or a 3-stage oesophagectomy for cancer. In all cases a radical 2-field lymph node dissection was performed. All were performed in a prone position and in the 3-stage oesophagectomies, superior mediastinal lympadenectomy was additionally performed. In the 2-stage cases an end-to-side esophago-gastric anastomosis was constructed in two layers with barbed knotless suture (V-LocTM). Results Male: female was 4:1 with a mean age of 66.44 years (IQR, 43–82). n = 53 were 2-stage and 12 were 3-stage oesophagectomies. Thirty five (53.8%) had neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 30(46.2%) went straight to surgery. There were no open conversions. No feeding jejunostomies were placed routinely. Complete resection (R0) rate was 61.54% (40/65) with a mean lymph node harvest of 28 (IQR, 11–68). Five (7.6%) anastomotic leaks were diagnosed (4 in 2-stage and 1 in 3-stage oesophagectomies), with 1(1.5%) of them (in the 2-stage group) being subclinical requiring no intervention. Furthermore, 1(1.5%) chyle leak and 1(1.5%) gastric staple line leak were also observed. Pulmonary complications were reported in 13.8% of cases and cardiac complications arose in 1.5%. Seven (10.8%) anastomotic strictures were also noted that were treated with endoscopic balloon dilatation. Mean hospital stay was 13 days and 30-day mortality rate was 4.62%. Conclusion Implementation of a minimally invasive oesophagectomy program in our high-volume tertiary centre is yielding good initial results. Vast previous experience in the field is of paramount importance. Hand-sewn intrathoracic anastomosis during 2-stage procedures is feasible and with repetitively good outcomes. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]