title: Minimally invasive esophagectomy in a previously pneumonectomized patient.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical resection represents the only therapeutic action having a radical intent for the treatment of resectable esophageal neoplasms. Minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is being more and more frequently performed. Few cases of esophagectomy after pneumonectomy have been described in the literature, and, to our knowledge, none of them was performed by the minimally invasive technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 77-year-old woman, who had undergone left thoracotomic pneumonectomy due to squamous cell lung cancer 2 years before, underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy because of esophageal cancer at the authors' institution. The intervention was performed by right thoracoscopic esophageal mobilization with the patient in the prone position, followed by the laparoscopic and cervicotomic stages, with cervical anastomosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total operative time was 230 minutes. Intensive care unit stay was 1 day, followed by a hospital stay of 13 days. We did not observe any major postoperative complication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minimally invasive esophagectomy with thoracoscopic esophageal mobilization in the prone position is a valid option in the treatment of esophageal cancer and may be feasible in previously left pneumonectomized patients.
authors: Department of General Surgery, University Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia of Udine, Udine, Italy. petri.roberto@aoud.sanita.fvg.it
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Petri
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Brizzolari
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Sorrentino
authors: Flavio
authors: F
authors: Bassi
authors: Rodolfo
authors: R
authors: Muzzi
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Zuccolo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D011013:Pneumonectomy