TOTAL REMOVAL OF THE INTRATHORACIC ESOPHAGUS AND ANTETHORACIC JEJUNAL ESOPHAGEAL REPLACEMENT FOR TREATMENT OF ESOPHAGEAL VARICES DUE TO EXTRAHEPATIC PORTAL BLOCK

Surgical techniques for esophageal replacement in children

PURPOSE

Surgical techniques for esophageal replacement (ER) in children include colon interposition, gastric tube, gastric transposition, and jejunal interposition. This review evaluates the merits and demerits of each.

METHOD

Surgical techniques, complications, and outcome of ER are reviewed over last seven decades.

RESULTS

Colon interposition is the time-tested procedure with minimal and less serious complications. Long-term complications include reflux, halitosis, colonic segment dilatation, and anastomotic stricture, sometimes requiring surgical interventions especially for dilatation and reflux. Gastric tube is technically more risky, and associated with early serious complications like prolonged leak in neck or mediastinum, graft necrosis, and ischemia leading to stricture of the tube. Long-term results are good. Gastric transposition is much simpler, can be performed in emergency and in newborns. It involves a single anastomosis in the neck. Post-operative complications include gastric stasis, bile reflux, restricted growth, and decreased pulmonary functional capacity. Jejunal interposition has not been used extensively due to short mesentery but long-term results are good in expert hands.

CONCLUSION

Colon is the most preferred and safest organ for ER. Stomach is a vascular and muscular organ with lower risk of ischemia. Gastric tube is a demanding technique. Jejunum or ileum is alternative for redo cases.

A modified Sugiura operation for bleeding varices in children

Objections to portal systemic shunting in children with life-threatening hemorrhage from esophageal varices include the high incidence of postshunt encephalopathy with neurologic and psychiatric sequelae and the inability to provide an adequate shunt in very young children. We have operated on eight children in the past 4 years for bleeding varices. The causes were: portal vein thrombosis (3), congenital hepatic fibrosis (2), chronic active hepatitis (2), and cystic fibrosis (1). The ages at operation were between 2 and 17 years. These children underwent various modifications of an operation described by Sugiura. The operation we have developed is done through a single thoracoabdominal incision, dividing and anastomosing the esophagus with a stapler, preserving the vagal innervation to the pylorus and antrum, and wrapping the fundus around the distal esophagus at the site of the anastomosis. The venous drainage of the lower esophagus and of the upper stomach is divided. The operation is therefore shorter and simpler, but adheres to the principles enunciated by Sugiura. Complications include one significant postoperative anastomotic leak and one symptomatic esophageal stricture. Longterm results have been gratifying with no evidence of rebleeding from esophageal varices. We believe that our modification of the original Sugiura operation is the preferred therapy of bleeding esophageal varices when surgical intervention is indicated because it preserves the normal structure and function of the upper gastrointestinal tract as well as the portal venous drainage to the liver.