Objective: To summarize early experience in combined thoraco-laparoscopic esophagectomy with two-field lymph node dissection for esophageal carcinoma.
Methods: A total of 150 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who underwent combined thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy in Union Hospital, Fujan Medical University, were enrolled in this study.
Results: Locations of the tumors included upper esophagus (n=14), middle esophagus (n=95), and lower esophagus (n=41). Pathological type showed squamous cell cancer (n=142) and other types of cancer (n=8). There was no intraoperative death. Conversion to open thoracotomy was required in 6 patients and conversion to open laparotomy in 2 patients. The average total operative time was( 258±45) min. The average operative thoracoscopic time was (140±33) min. The average time for gastric mobilization and neck esophagogastric anastomosis was (119±28) min. The average blood loss during the procedure was (207±130) ml. The average number of harvested lymph node with the specimen was 23.3±8.2. The tumor staging included stage I (n=39), II (n=58) and III (n=53). Postoperative complications occurred in 48(32%) patients including pneumonia (n=17), recurrent laryngeal injury (n=13), anastomotic leak (n=9), arrhythmias (n=9), chyle chest (n=5), delayed gastric emptying (n=5), ileus (n=2), volvulus (n=1), and thrombocytopenia (n=1). Two patients died postoperatively due to respiratory failure resulting from pneumonia.
Conclusion: Thoraco-laparoscopic two-field lymph node dissection of esophageal cancer is a feasible minimally invasive approach.