Treatment of late complication of colon interposition for corrosive esophageal burns

Colon redundancy and adhesional obstruction after colonic interposition for corrosive esophageal burns, leading to poor quality of life and malnutrition in young adults, often require surgical revision. Herein, we present our lessons and experiences regarding managements of the late and untoward complications which occurred in the postoperative 15th year following the initial colon interposition. And we review the literatures in the discussion. Prolonged surgical follow-up and appropriate management of coloplasty dysfunction are important for long-term success after colon interposition for corrosive esophageal burns

Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery through right anterior-lateral approach / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the feasibility and curative effect of thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) through right anterior-lateral approach.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-six patients of MG were treated with thoracoscopic thymectomy and mediastinal fat dissection through right anterior-lateral approach from August 2001 to October 2007. The feasibility, safety, complication and remission for MG were retrospectively analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fifty-five operations were completed by VATS. The mean operative time and blood loss were (96.2 +/- 52.1) min and (68.7 +/- 21.4) ml, respectively. The brachiocephalic vein injury by the electric coagulator occurred in two cases and one of them performed thoracotomy for homeostasis, the other performed ligation. The postoperative pathology showed hyperplasia in 38 cases, atrophy in 5 cases, thymoma in 12 cases and cyst of thymus in 1 case. And the operative complication included one myasthenia crisis (1.8%) at the third day and one death (1.8%) at the eighth day because of postoperative hemorrhage. The average length of stay was (7.9 +/- 2.9) d. All cases were followed up from one to seventy months. Eight (14.3%) of complete remission, 39 cases (69.6%) of partial remission and 7 cases (12.5%) of no change were found. The total effective rate was 83.9%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Thoracoscopic thymectomy through right anterior lateral approach is technically feasible, safe and minimally invasive. It has a high remission rate for MG.</p>

Pharyngo-colonic anastomosis for esophageal reconstruction in the treatment of diffuse corrosive esophageal stricture / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the experience and the outcome of pharyngo-colonic anastomosis for esophageal reconstruction in diffuse corrosive esophageal stricture involving hypopharynx.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This retrospective report reviews the experience and results of 14 patients who underwent esophageal reconstruction by pharyngo-colonic anastomosis without resection of intra thoracic stricture esophagus. The left half colonic segment was pulled up to the neck through the substernal space in all patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no operative or hospital death. Postoperative complications include cervical anastomotic fistula in four patients, rupture of the abdominal incision in 1. The length of follow-up ranged from half year to 10 years with an average of 4 years. Anastomotic stenosis occurred in 2 patients. One case improved after dilatation and the other one healed by plastic operation. One patient began to vomit after diet in seven months later with barium swallowing the abdominal colon graft was redundant and this patient was cured with side by side between the colon and the stomach.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The successful reconstruction for hypo-pharyngo-esophageal stricture requires a correct and larger hypopharyngeal opening and a good anastomotic technique. From our experience this procedure is shown to be safe and effective.</p>

Prevention and treatment of stricture after esophageal burns in 168 cases / 中华创伤杂志

Objective To summarize our experience in prevention and treatment of stricture after esopageal burns in the past thirty years.Methods There were 168 cases in this series.Of them,158 cases underwent surgical management in this study.Modified intraluminal stenting was used in 34 cases, colon interposition without resection of strictured esophagus in 77 cases,gastric transposion with resection of the stricture in 27,repair of cervical stricture with platysma myocutaneous flap in 22,and miscellane- ous operation in 12.Eleven cases experienced operation twice or more at our department.Results Twenty-nine cases recovered after treatment with intraluminal stenting,and 5 re-experienced stricture after stent removal.One of the 5 cases with failed stent responded to bougienage,and the remaining 4 cases re- quired esophageal reconstruction later.Of the 77 colon interpositions,5 cases died postoperatively,and complications of cervical anastomotic fistula occurred in 14 cases,anastomotic stenosis in 4,and abdomi- nal incision dehiscence in 2 cases.In the 27 cases with gastric transpositions,postoperative complications of anastomotic stricture occurred in 2 cases and empyema in 1 patient.There was a cervical leak in 3 ca- ses of the 22 cases treated with the repair of cervical esopageal or anastomotic stricture with a platysma myocutaneous flap.In the 12 cases treated with miscellaneous operation,one died of intestinal obstruc- tion.All the survivors had regular diet after discharge.Conclusions Intraluminal stenting can prevent the formation of caustic esophageal stricture.The location of the cicatricial esophagus dictates whether to perform concomitant esophagectomy during esophageal reconstruction.Platysma myocutaneous flap repair is an excellent method for the treatment of severe cervical esophageal or anastomotic stricture.