Distal Esophageal Perforation Repair During Laparoscopic Esophagomyotomy: Evaluation of Outcomes and Review of Surgical Technique

Mucosal injury during laparoscopic Heller cardiomyotomy: risk factors and impact on surgical outcomes

PURPOSE

To investigate the risk factors and outcomes of mucosal perforation (MP) during laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) in patients with achalasia.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent LHM for achalasia at a single facility.

RESULTS

Among 412 patients who underwent LHM for achalasia, MP was identified in 52 (12.6%). Old age, long disease duration, low albumin level, an esophageal transverse diameter  > 6 cm, and a sigmoid-shaped esophagus were found to be independent predictors of MP. These factors were assigned a pre-operative score to predict the perforation risk. MP had a significant impact on intra and post-operative outcomes. Gastric side perforation was associated with a higher incidence of reflux symptoms, whereas esophageal-side perforation had a higher incidence of residual dysphagia.

CONCLUSIONS

Many risk factors for MP have been identified. Correctable parameters like low serum albumin should be resolved prior to surgery, while uncorrectable parameters like old age and a sigmoid-shaped esophagus should be managed by experienced surgeons in high-volume centers. Implementing these recommendations will help decrease the incidence and consequences of this serious complication.

Laparoscopic Esocardiomyotomy-Risk Factors and Implications of Intraoperative Mucosal Perforation

BACKGROUND

Mucosal perforation during laparoscopic esocardiomyotomy is quite frequent, and its consequences cannot always be neglected. The purpose of the study is to investigate the risk factors for intraoperative mucosal perforation and its implications on the postoperative outcomes and the functional results three months postoperatively.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We retrospectively identified the patients with laparoscopic esocardiomyotomy performed at Sf. Maria Hospital Bucharest, in the period between January 2017-January 2022 and collected the data (preoperative-clinic, manometric and imaging, intra-and postoperative). To identify the risk factors for mucosal perforations, we used logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

We included 60 patients; intraoperative mucosal perforation occurred in 8.33% of patients. The risk factors were: the presence of tertiary contractions (OR = 14.00, 95%CI = [1.23, 158.84], p = 0.033206), the number of propagated waves ≤6 (OR = 14.50), 95%CI = [1.18, 153.33], p < 0.05), the length of esophageal myotomy (OR = 1.74, 95%CI = [1.04, 2.89] p < 0.05), the length of esocardiomyotomy (OR = 1.74, 95%CI = [1.04, 2.89] p < 0.05), and a protective factor-the intraoperative upper endoscopy (OR = 0.037, 95%CI = [0.003, 0.382] p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Identifying risk factors for this adverse intraoperative event may decrease the incidence and make this surgery safer. Although mucosal perforation resulted in prolonged hospital stays, it did not lead to significant differences in functional outcomes.

Outcomes following the main treatment options in patients with a leaking esophagus: a systematic literature review

Leakage from the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction can be lethal due to uncontrolled contamination of the mediastinum. The most predominant risk factors for the subsequent clinical outcome are the patients' delay as well as the delay of diagnosis. Two major therapeutic concepts have been advocated: either prompt closure of the leakage by insertion of a self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) or more traditionally, surgical exploration. The objective of this review is to carefully scrutinize the recent literature and assess the outcomes of these two therapeutic alternatives in the management of iatrogenic perforation-spontaneous esophageal rupture as separated from those with anastomotic leak. A systematic web-based search using PubMed and the Cochrane Library was performed, reviewing literature published between January 2005 and December 2015. Eligible studies included all studies that presented data on the outcome of SEMS or surgical exploration in case of esophageal leak (including >3 patients). Only patients older than 15 years of age by the time of admission were included. Articles in other languages but English were excluded. Treatment failure was defined as a need for change in therapeutic strategy due to uncontrolled sepsis and mediastinitis, which usually meant rescue esophagectomy with end esophagostomy, death occurring as a consequence of the leakage or development of an esophagorespiratory fistula and/or other serious life threatening complications. Accordingly, the corresponding success rate is composed of cases where none of the failures above occurred. Regarding SEMS treatment, 201 articles were found, of which 48 were deemed relevant and of these, 17 articles were further analyzed. As for surgical management, 785 articles were retrieved, of which 82 were considered relevant, and 17 were included in the final analysis. It was not possible to specifically extract detailed clinical outcomes in sufficient numbers, when we tried to separately analyze the data in relation to the cause of the leakage: i.e. iatrogenic perforation-spontaneous esophageal rupture and anastomotic leak. As for SEMS treatment, originally 154 reports focused on iatrogenic perforation, 116 focused on spontaneous ruptures, and only four described the outcome following trauma and foreign body management. Only five studies used a prospective protocol to assess treatment efficacy. Regarding a leaking anastomosis, 80 reports contained information about the outcome after treatment of esophagogastrostomies and 35 reported the clinical course after an esophagojejunostomy. An overall success rate of 88% was reported among the 371 SEMS-treated patients, where adequate data were available, with a reported in hospital mortality amounting to 7.5%. Regarding the surgical exploration strategy, the vast majority of patients had an attempt to repair the defect by direct or enforced suturing. This surgical approach also included procedures such as patching with pleura or with a diaphragmatic flap. The overall reported success rate was 83% (305/368) and the in-hospital mortality was 17% (61/368). The current literature suggests that a SEMS-based therapy can be successfully applied as an alternative therapeutic strategy in esophageal perforation rupture.

Identification of risk factors for mucosal injury during laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia

BACKGROUND

Mucosal injury during myotomy is the most frequent complication seen with the Heller-Dor procedure for achalasia. The present study aimed to examine risk factors for such mucosal injury during this procedure.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent the laparoscopic Heller-Dor procedure for achalasia at a single facility. Variables for evaluation included patient characteristics, preoperative pathophysiological findings, and surgeon's operative experience. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors. We also examined surgical outcomes and the degree of patient satisfaction in relation to intraoperative mucosal injury.

RESULTS

Four hundred thirty-five patients satisfied study criteria. Intraoperative mucosal injury occurred in 67 patients (15.4%). In univariate analysis, mucosal injury was significantly associated with the patient age ≥60 years, disease history ≥10 years, prior history of cardiac diseases, preoperative esophageal transverse diameter ≥80 mm, and surgeon's operative experience with fewer than five cases. In multivariate analysis involving these factors, the following variables were identified as risk factors: age ≥60 years, esophageal transverse diameter ≥80 mm, and surgeon's operative experience with fewer than five cases. The mucosal injury group had significant extension of the operative time and increased blood loss. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of reflux esophagitis or the degree of symptom alleviation postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

The fragile esophagus caused by advanced patient age and/or dilatation were risk factor for mucosal injury during laparoscopic Heller-Dor procedure. And novice surgeon was also identified as an isolated risk factor for mucosal injury.

Novel surgical concept in antireflux surgery: long-term outcomes comparing 3 different laparoscopic approaches

BACKGROUND

The Nissen fundoplication procedure is the most widely used type of antireflux surgery. The results are not always as good as expected, and several modifications to the original technique have been proposed. Long-term effectiveness studies comparing different techniques of antireflux surgery are limited. Our group developed a new concept in antireflux surgery (complete fixed "nondeformable" fundoplication) in order to improve its outcome; we present the long-term comparative results of this novel concept/technique.

METHODS

Overall, 512 patients were included in the study and assigned into 1 of 3 fundoplications groups: partial (131), Nissen (133), and fixed "nondeformable" (121). We compared the groups with each other and with a group who chose to receive medical treatment (MT) (127). All patients underwent clinical evaluation, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, esophageal manometry, 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring, and the SF-36 health status survey prior to operation and at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years of follow-up.

RESULTS

At the 15-year follow-up, we were able to complete the protocol in 319 patients: 103 patients from the partial group, 102 patients from the Nissen group, 97 patients from the fixed "nondeformable" group, and 17 patients from the medical treatment group. A lower prevalence of erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was observed in the fixed "nondeformable" group (7.20%) versus 21.56% for Nissen, 39.80% for partial, and 47.05% for MT (P < .01). Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and LES length were more constant in the fixed "nondeformable" group (14.7 mm Hg/2.2 cm) compared with the Nissen (9 mm Hg/0.7 cm), partial (7 mm Hg/2 cm), and MT (5.64 mm Hg/1.3 cm) groups (P < .01). Reflux recurrence was observed in 168 patients (13 in fixed "nondeformable," 41 in Nissen, and 98 in partial (P < .01).

CONCLUSION

The complete fixed "nondeformable" fundoplication showed best results in studied parameters and had a lower long-term recurrence compared with Nissen and partial techniques.

Surgical treatment for achalasia: when should it be performed, and for which patients?

Achalasia is a rare motor disorder of the esophagus, characterized by the absence of peristalsis and impaired swallow-induced relaxation. In the past decade, evidence has been accumulated suggesting that achalasia may be an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder. With the advent of minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) has slowly shifted the treatment of achalasia toward the greater use of surgical therapy. The goal of both surgical and nonsurgical treatment is to eliminate the outflow obstruction afforded by a nonrelaxing sphincter, relieving dysphagia and maintaining a barrier against gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Endoscopic botulinum toxin injection (EBTI) is safe, easy to perform, inexpensive, and effective in aged patients, and it is especially effective when the lower esophageal pressure is hypertonic. This therapeutic option is reserved for patients too ill to undergo any surgical procedure. Pneumatic dilation (PD) has been shown to be an effective and inexpensive treatment with few adverse effects. The long-term success rate of PD seems to drop progressively over time. Heller myotomy (HM) has shown the best clinical efficacy in achalasia as a first-line treatment. Multiple endoscopic treatments are associated with poorer outcomes after HM. EBTI also makes LHM more difficult and results in a worse surgical outcome. The inferior symptomatic outcomes after thoracoscopic HM may be caused by the difficulty in extending an adequate myotomy onto the stomach from the chest and the inability to create a fundoplication. LHM with Dor's fundoplication (LHM + Dor) is effective and is safer procedure for avoiding GER, dysphagia, mucosal perforation, and a pseudodiverticulum. LHM + Dor is also effective in the presence of sigmoid achalasia, but the clinical result is not as good as nonsigmoid achalasia. A few patients need esophagectomy for surgical failure of HM. However, considering the risk of esophagectomy, LHM + Dor is the first treatment option for patients with achalasia regardless of the degree of esophageal dilatation. This procedure is therefore considered to be an effective and safe treatment for patients of any age or with any condition.

Trends of Heller myotomy hospitalizations for achalasia in the United States, 1993-2005: effect of surgery volume on perioperative outcomes

OBJECTIVES

Achalasia is a rare chronic disorder of esophageal motor function. Single-center reports suggest that there has been greater use of laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia in the United States since its introduction in 1992. We aimed to study the trends of Heller myotomy and the relationship between surgery volume and perioperative outcomes.

DATA AND METHODS

The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) is a 20% stratified sample of all hospitalizations in the United States. It was used to study the macro-trends of Heller myotomy hospitalizations during 1993-2005. We also used the NIS 2003-2005 micro-data to study the perioperative outcomes of Heller myotomy hospitalizations, using other achalasia and laparoscopic cholecystectomy hospitalizations as control groups. The generalized linear model with repeated observations from the same unit was used to adjust for multiple hospitalizations from the same hospital.

RESULTS

The national estimate of Heller myotomy hospitalizations increased from 728 to 2,255 during 1993-2005, while its mean length of stay decreased from 9.9 to 4.3 days. Of the 1,117 Heller myotomy hospitalizations in the NIS 2003-2005, 10 (0.9%) had the diagnosis of esophageal perforation at discharge. Length of stay was negatively correlated with a hospital's number of Heller myotomy per year (correlation coefficient -0.171, P < 0.001). In multivariate log-linear regressions with a control group, a hospital's number of Heller myotomy per year was negatively associated with length of stay (coefficient -0.215 to -0.119, both P < 0.001) and total charges (coefficient -0.252 to -0.073, both P < 0.10). These findings were robust in alternative statistical models, specifications, and subgroup analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

On a national level, the introduction of laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia was associated with greater use of surgery and shorter length of stay. A larger volume of Heller myotomy in a hospital was associated with better perioperative outcomes in terms of shorter length of stay and lower total charges.