title: Minimally Invasive Resection of Benign Esophageal Lesions.
abstract: Benign esophageal lesions include a wide variety of rare neoplasms, polyps, and cysts. In general, these lesions are asymptomatic and have little clinical importance. However, on occasion these lesions become symptomatic due to esophageal obstruction, airway obstruction, or compression of mediastinal structures. In these cases, as well as cases when it is unclear if the lesion is malignant or benign, surgical resection is recommended. Resection is most often performed by extramucosal enucleation, a procedure that is oftentimes well-suited for a minimally invasive approach. Here we discuss the general approach and operative techniques used for minimally invasive resection of benign esophageal lesions.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Madison, WI.
authors.forename: Ryan A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Macke
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Division of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Katie S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Nason
keywords: Benign esophageal disease; Enucleation; Esophageal surgery; Leiomyoma; Minimally invasive surgery