1,720,986 research outputs found

    [Staging by immediate preoperative laparoscopy in adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and cardia]

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    Accurate preoperative staging of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia is critical to select the proper treatment in the individual patients, i.e., resection, neoadjuvant therapy, or endoscopic palliation. Aim of this study was to assess the role of laparoscopy in detecting intra-abdominal metastatic spread in patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia. Between November 1995 and May 1998, 45 patients with histologically-proven adenocarcinoma of the cardia--without any previous treatment--and negative or inconclusive findings at computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US) underwent staging laparoscopy at the same session of the planned surgical resection. The mean operative time of the procedure was 25 minutes (range 15-55 min). Laparoscopy led to change the therapeutic approach in five patients (11.1%): three patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis and one with a liver metastasis undetected at preoperative imaging studies did not have resection; conversely, one individual with liver hemangioma simulating a metastatic mass at CT underwent esophagogastric resection. In patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia, laparoscopy is useful to increase accuracy of detection of metastases; when performed as the first step of a planed resection, it avoids unnecessary laparotomies and does not increase the complexity of preoperative evaluation

    Surgical therapy in patients with failed antireflux repairs

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    Failure of antireflux surgery may be due to errors in patient selection, errors in the choice of the operation, or technical errors in the performance of the operation. The purpose of this work was to review a series of patients surgically treated for a failed antireflux procedure over the past two decades

    Current trends in the surgical treatment of esophageal and cardia adenocarcinoma

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    Since adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia is increasing at an alarming rate, major efforts are currently oriented to identify patients who may benefit from extensive resection. Between November 1992 and May 1998, 218 patients with histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus or cardia were referred to our Department. In six patients (10.2%) with Barrett's adenocarcinoma, cancer was discovered during endoscopic surveillance program for Barrett's metaplasia. Overall, one hundred-forty-seven patients (67%) underwent resection. Fifty-one underwent an extended mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Median cumulative survival was 25.9+/-3.1 months in patients undergoing resection, and 7+/-1.3 months in patients having palliation (p<0.01). Survival was significantly longer in patients with negative nodes than in those with lymph node metastases (54+/-12.9 versus 17+/-2.8 months, p<0.01). Six of the 51 patients (11.8%) undergoing extended lymphadenectomy had metastatic upper mediastinal nodes. Additional serial sections and immunohistochemistry were performed in 46 patients. In 6 of 18 patients (33.3%) with negative nodes at conventional hematoxylin-eosin examination, immunohistochemistry demonstrated micrometastases in the lesser curve, paracardial, peripancreatic, or lower mediastinal nodes. Early diagnosis remains the prerequisite for curative treatment of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and cardia. When a curative resection is attempted, extended lymphadenectomy improves tumor staging and may prevent local recurrences. Serial sections and immunohistochemistry provide additional accuracy in the staging of the disease and may prove useful to select patients for adjuvant therapy

    Rising incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma in Western countries: is it possible to identify a population at risk?

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    Symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Barrett's mucosa are risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma (ADC). The aim of this study was to analyze the anthropometric features and prevalence of GERD in patients with ADC compared with patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and control subjects. A total of 262 patients with ADC and 302 with SCC were enrolled consecutively. A control group of 262 individuals, sex and age matched to the ADC group, and an additional group of 138 patients with GERD confirmed by 24-h pH monitoring were used for comparison. The prevalence of symptomatic GERD was 32.4% in the subgroup of patients with Barrett's ADC (male-female = 6.4:1; mean age = 62 years) vs. 8% in those with gastric cardia carcinoma (P 25 remains to be determined

    Clinical outcome and survival after esophagectomy for carcinoma in elderly patients

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    Advances in perioperative management have allowed more and more elderly patients to undergo major surgery with postoperative morbidity and mortality rates comparable to those of younger individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of age on the clinical outcome and long-term survival of patients with esophageal carcinoma undergoing esophagectomy. Nine-hundred patients with esophageal carcinoma were divided into two groups: A (n = 403) with age ≥ 65 years, and B (n = 497) with age < 65 years. One-hundred and fifty three (38%) patients of group A underwent surgery compared to 272 (55%) of group B (P < 0.01). Postoperative mortality, and the prevalence of anastomotic leak and respiratory complications were similar in both groups; conversely, there was a higher prevalence of cardiovascular complications in group A (13% vs 3%, P < 0.01). Five-year survival was about 35% in both groups. In conclusion, advanced age should no longer be considered an absolute contraindication to esophagectomy for carcinoma in-selected patients. In fact, the postoperative mortality and long-term survival rates of elderly patients undergoing resection are comparable to that of younger individuals

    Esophagobronchial fistula after thoracoscopic resection of an epiphrenic diverticulum

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    We report a case of a 54-year-old man presenting with recurrent epiphrenic diverticulum and esophagobronchial fistula 3 years after thoracoscopic diverticulectomy. Surgical correction required transhiatal stapling of the pouch combined with distal esophageal myotomy and Dor fundoplication
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