title: Fundus rotation gastroplasty: a modified gastric tube.
abstract: Anastomotic failure remains to be one of the main problems in esophageal surgery with leakage rates up to 30% being reported currently. We addressed that problem by modifying the gastric-tube formation in utilizing all of the gastric fundus and omitting the resection of the lesser gastric curvature and accompanying vessels. Experimentally, those fundus-rotation gastroplasties were significantly longer and better perfused than conventional gastroplasties. In a clinical series of 53 patients (45 male, eight female, range 42-83 years) undergoing esophageal resection (49 malignancies, four non-malignant esophageal disease), four anastomotic leakages were found (7.5%). Three patients died due to a bronchial leak and adult respiratory distress syndrome, one with a complete gastric-tube necrosis and one with a colon perforation, sepsis and multiorgan failure. Eight patients developed a significant anastomotic stricture requiring repeated endoscopic dilatations. From our experimental and clinical experience, we conclude that the favorable length and perfusion of fundus-rotation gastroplasties allow for safe anastomosis at either the cervical or thoracic level.
authors.affiliation: Department for Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University of Bern, Inselspital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Büchler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D004947:Esophagus; D005260:Female; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019738:Surgically-Created Structures; D016896:Treatment Outcome