title: Pericardial repair of a tracheal laceration during transhiatal esophagectomy.
abstract: Transhiatal esophagectomy has recently been popularized for both benign and malignant esophageal disease. While we were performing a transhiatal esophagectomy for a squamous cell cancer of the upper third of the esophagus, a tear in the membranous trachea near the carina occurred. This was repaired through the cervical incision with a free pericardial patch. This solution to a potentially catastrophic complication of transhiatal esophagectomy gave a satisfactory result without early or late postoperative respiratory complications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gorenstein
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Abel
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Patterson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D010496:Pericardium / Q000601:surgery; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014132:Trachea / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery