Esophageal carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumor, a serious threat to human health. In the early and middle esophageal carcinoma patients, surgery is the only expected treatment to cure esophageal carcinoma. Traditional surgery of esophageal cancer needs thoracotomy and laparotomy, which has great trauma and high incidence of complications. So surgeons are looking for a minimally invasive surgical methods alternative to traditional esophagectomy. Video-mediastinoscopy is used to free middle and upper esophagus, as a minimally invasive surgical method, it is used in radical resection of esophageal cancer gradually. This article reviews the recent progress and the related research results in the application of mediastinoscopy in the radical resection of esophageal cancer. It is found that mediastinoscopy assisted the radical resection of esophageal cancer is a safe and feasible operation. It provides a feasible treatment option for early and middle stage esophageal cancer patients with pulmonary insufficiency who can not be resected by thoracoscopy.
ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of mediastinoscope-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy (MATHE) and functional minimally invasive esophagectomy (FMIE) for esophageal cancer. MethodsPatients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy at Jining No.1 Hospital from March 2018 to September 2022 were retrospectively included. The patients were divided into a MATHE group and a FMIE group according to the procedures. The patients were matched via propensity score matching (PSM) with a ratio of 1 : 1 and a caliper value of 0.2. The clinical data of the patients were compared after the matching. ResultsA total of 73 patients were include in the study, including 54 males and 19 females, with an average age of (65.12±7.87) years. There were 37 patients in the MATHE group and 36 patients in the FMIE group. Thirty pairs were successfully matched. Compared with the FMIE group, MATHE group had shorter operation time (P=0.022), lower postoperative 24 h pain score (P=0.031), and less drainage on postoperative 1-3 days (P<0.001). FMIE group had more lymph node dissection (P<0.001), lower incidence of postoperative hoarseness (P=0.038), lower white blood cell and neutrophil counts on postoperative 1 day (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the bleeding volume, R0 resection, hospital mortality, postoperative hospital stay, anastomotic leak, chylothorax, or pulmonary infection between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionCompared with the FMIE, MATHE has shorter operation time, less postoperative pain and drainage, but removes less lymph nodes, which is deficient in oncology. For some special patients such as those with early cancer or extensive pleural adhesions, MATHE may be a suitable surgical method.
Objective To compare the short-term efficacy and safety of inflatable video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy (IVMTE) and minimally invasive transthoracic esophagectomy (MITE) in the treatment of esophageal cancer. MethodsThe Cochrane Library, EMbase, PubMed, Wanfang Database, VIP, and CNKI were searched. Literatures related to the short-term efficacy and safety of IVMTE and MITE in the treatment of esophageal neoplasms published from the establishment of the database to December 2023 were searched and meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan5.4. Quality of case control study or cohort study was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and quality of randomized controlled trial was assessed by Cochrane Handbook. Results A total of 14 studies (12 case control studies and 1 prospective cohort study wiht NOS score more than 7 points and 1 randomized controlled trial wiht low bias risk) were included, comprising 1 163 patients, with 525 in the IVMTE group and 638 in the MITE group. The results of meta-analysis revealed that the IVMTE group exhibited significantly shorter operative time [MD=−60.42, 95%CI (−83.78, −37.07), P<0.001] and postoperative hospital stay [MD=−2.44, 95%CI (−2.93, −1.94), P<0.01] compared to the MITE group. Moreover, intraoperative blood loss [MD=−34.67, 95%CI (−59.11, −10.23), P=0.005], three-day postoperative drainage [MD=−286.66, 95%CI (−469.93, −103.40), P=0.002], incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection [OR=0.38, 95%CI (0.26, 0.56), P<0.001], lung leakage rate [OR=0.12, 95% CI (0.02, 0.63), P=0.01] and overall complication rate [MD=0.41, 95%CI (0.22, 0.75), P=0.004] were all lower in the IVMTE group compared to those in the MITE group. However, the MITE technique demonstrated superiority over IVMTE regarding intraoperative lymph dissection number [MD=−3.52, 95%CI (−6.36, –0.68), P=0.02] and intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve injury [OR=1.78, 95%CI (1.22, 2.60), P=0.003]. No significant difference was observed between both methods concerning anastomotic fistula. Conclusion Compared to MITE, IVMTE has advantages such as shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, shorter hospital stay, less postoperative drainage within 3 days, and a lower incidence of pulmonary complications. In terms of laryngeal recurrent nerve injury and lymphatic dissection, MITE operation offers more benefits.
Abstract： Objective To investigate the indications， surgical techniques and postoperative complication management of transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy for patients with esophageal cancer. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of 105 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between July 2002 and July 2010， including 28 patients who received video-assisted mediastinoscopy. There were 59 male patients and 46 female patients with their average age of 63 （48-81） years. There were 51 patients with upper thoracic esophageal cancer， 18 patients with middle thoracic esophageal cancer and 36 patients with lower thoracic esophageal cancer. Surgical outcomes and safety were evaluated. Results Mean operation time was 153 （140-210） minutes， mean intraoperative blood loss was 150 （100 to 250） ml， and mean hospital stay was 15 （10-35） days. There was no in-hospital death or residual tumor cells in esophagus stumps. Twenty-seven patients had postoperative complications， including 3 patients with anastomotic leakage at neck， 4 patients with recurrent laryngeal nerve injury， 5 patients with pleural effusion， 2 patients with pneumothorax， 3 patients with pneumonia， 3 patients with arrhythmia， 1 patient with chylothorax， 2 patients with incision infection， 2 patients with delayed gastric emptying， and 2 patients with anastomotic stenosis， who were all cured after treatment. Ninety-seven patients were followed up from 16 months to 5 years， and 8 patients were lost during follow-up. During follow-up， there were 94 patients who had lived for 1 year， 67 patients who had lived for 3 years， and 34 patients who had lived for 5 years postoperatively， and some patients needed further follow-up. Conclusion Transhiatal esophagectomy without thoracotomy is a minimally traumatic procedure and can provide fast postoperative recovery. It is especially suitable for patients with stageⅡor earlier esophageal cancer who can’t tolerate or aren’t suitable for transthoracic esophagectomy.
ObjectiveTo investigate the short-term follow-up results of inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy in the treatment of esophageal cancer.MethodsClinical data of 102 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy were enrolled in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2019. Patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods, including a single-port inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy group (group A, n=59, 53 males and 6 females, aged 63.3±7.6 years, ranging from 45 to 75 years) and a video-assisted thoracoscopy combined with laparoscopy group (group B, n=43, 35 males and 8 females, aged 66.7±6.7 years, ranging from 50-82 years). The short-term follow-up results of the two groups were compared.ResultsCompared with the group A, the rate of postoperative pulmonary complication of the group B was significantly lower (18.64% vs. 4.65%, P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in other postoperative complications (P>0.05). The 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year survival rates were 96.61%, 89.83%, and 73.33%, respectively in the group A, and were 95.35%, 93.02%, and 79.17%, respectively in the group B. There was no significant difference in short-term survival rate after operation (P>0.05).ConclusionIn the treatment of esophageal cancer, the incidence of pulmonary complications of inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy is lower than that of traditional video-assisted thoracoscopy combined with laparoscopy, and there is no significant difference in other postoperative complications or short-term survival rate between the two methods. Inflatable mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy for radical esophageal cancer is a relatively safe surgical method with good short-term curative effects, and long-term curative effects need to be further tested.
With the widespread application of minimally invasive esophagectomy, inflatable video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy (IVMTE) has gradually become one of the alternative surgical methods for transthoracic esophagectomy due to less trama, fewer perioperative complications and better short-term efficacy. However, there is no uniform standard for surgical methods and lymph node dissection in medical centers that perform IVMTE, which affects the standardization and further promotion of IVMTE. Therefore, on the basis of fully consulting domestic and foreign literature, our team proposed an expert consensus focusing on IVMTE, in order to standardize the clinical practice, guarantee the quality of treatment and promote the development of IMVTE.
Objective To evaluate the clinical role of video-assisted mediastinoscopy and its safety and effectiveness in the diagnosis of thoracic disease. Methods We reviewed the clinical data of consecutive 40 patients (25 males and 15 females with an average age of 54.6 years) who received video-assisted mediastinoscopic surgery in our department of thoracic surgery from December 2011 to November 2016, including mediastinal lymph node biopsy in 27 patients, mediastinal primary lesions biopsy in 8, bronchial cystectomy in 3 and esophageal dissection in 2. Results The histological results were positive in 20 patients (73.1%) in mediastinal lymph node biopsy, including granulomatous mediastinitis in 14 and metastasis in 6 (non-small cell lung cancer in 4, Ewing sacoma in 1 and small cell lung cancer in 1) and reactive proliferation in 7 (26.9%). In mediastinal primary lesions biopsy, the accuracy rate of diagnosis was 100.0%. The pathologic results were malignant in all patients, including small cell lung cancer in 5, adenoid cystic carcinoma in 1, squamous carcinoma in 1 and adenocarcinoma in 1. In patients who received the bronchial cystectomy, no recurrence was found during at least 2 years follow-up. There was one patient with severe complication (innominate artery injury). Two patients suffered transient laryngeal recurrent nerve palsy with hoarseness and two patients incision secretion. Conclusion Video-assisted mediastinoscopic surgery is effective and safe and dissection should be careful in granulomatous mediastinitis to avoid the great vessel injures.