title: Omentoplasty versus no omentoplasty for cervical esophagogastrostomy following radical esophagectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Omentoplasty--wrapping the omentum around the alimentary tract anastomosis is thought to lower the rate of anastomotic leakage. We evaluated the role of omentoplasty to reinforce cervical esophagogastrostomy after radical esophagectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared anastomotic leakage, stricture formation, and related deaths in 63 patients who underwent radical esophagectomy and cervical esophagogastrostomy, with (n = 48) or without (n = 15) omentoplasty, between 1995 and 1999.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An esophageal anastomotic leakage was diagnosed in 1 of the 48 patients (2.1%) with omentoplasty versus 3 of the 15 patients (20.0%) without omentoplasty (P < 0.01). Anastomotic stricture occurred in 2 (4.2%) of the omentoplasty group and 1 (6.7%) of the no omentoplasty group (P < 0.01). Death within 1 month was zero in the omentoplasty group and one (6.7%) in the no-omentoplasty group, despite no differences in lethal anastomotic leakage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Omentoplasty of cervical esophagogastrostomy reduced anastomotic leakage. Although promising, these observations require confirmation with a randomized prospective study.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Gunma University Faculty of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-Machi, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan. sohwada@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohwada
authors.forename: Tetsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawate
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Sumihiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomizawa
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohya
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morishita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009852:Omentum / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome