Published online Dec 7, 2017. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i45.8035
Peer-review started: June 1, 2017
First decision: June 22, 2017
Revised: August 15, 2017
Accepted: September 5, 2017
Article in press: September 5, 2017
Published online: December 7, 2017
Processing time: 186 Days and 22.1 Hours
To introduce a two-step method for creating a gastric tube during laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy and assess its clinical application.
One hundred and twenty-two patients with middle or lower esophageal cancer who underwent laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy at Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute from March 2014 to March 2016 were included in this study, and divided into two groups based on the procedure used for creating a gastric tube. One group used a two-step method for creating a gastric tube, and the other group used the conventional method. The two groups were compared regarding the operating time, surgical complications, and number of stapler cartridges used.
The mean operating time was significantly shorter in the two-step method group than in the conventional method group [238 (179-293) min vs 272 (189-347) min, P < 0.01]. No postoperative death occurred in either group. There was no significant difference in the rate of complications [14 (21.9%) vs 13 (22.4%), P = 0.55] or mean number of stapler cartridges used [5 (4-6) vs 5.2 (5-6), P = 0.007] between the two groups.
The two-step method for creating a gastric tube during laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy has the advantages of simple operation, minimal damage to the tubular stomach, and reduced use of stapler cartridges.
Core tip: The two-step method accomplishes totally laparoscopic-thoracoscopic Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy, by avoiding an additional abdominal incision and conducting operations via the operating port to simplify the complicated operation steps, thus greatly reducing the difficulty in creating the gastric tube after anastomosis, and shortening the operating time.