HOW I DO IT / HOW I DID IT SURGICAL PROCEDURES

 

 ESOPHAGECTOMY

 

 OPERATIVE TECHNIQUE:

Patient in supine position

Place a small sandbag under the patient’s right side to elevate that side 300, with right arm abducted and suspended from the "ether screen" cephalad to the surgical field

Turn the patient's head to left in case the right cervical region has to be exposed for the upper anastomosis

Prepare right neck, right hemithorax and abdomen

Perform a midline upper ab­dominal incision to initially explore the liver and lower esophagus

Make an incision along the course of 5th intercostal space from sternum to posterior axillary line in men. In women, make skin incision in the inframammary fold

Incise pectoral and anterior serratus muscles with electrocoagulator along the fourth interspace

Incise intercostal muscles along upper border of 5th rib

Divide internal mammary artery near the sternal margin between ligatures

Enter pleura of 4th intercostal space, and divide cartilaginous portion of 4th rib near its articulation with sternum

Clamp neurovascular bundle, divide it, and ligate with 2‑0 silk

Separate the ribs

Incise mediastinal pleura to expose esophagus

Identify, skeletonize, divide and doubly ligate azygous vein with 2‑0 silk

Encircle esophagus with finger at a point away from tumor

Divide several small arterial branches to the esophagus between ligatures

Dissect and include adjacent mediastinal lymph nodes in the specimen

Dissect esophagus from apex of chest to diaphragmatic hiatus

Do proximal gastric vagotomy

Ligate esophageal lumen proximal and distal to the tumor with narrow umbilical tapes

Cover thoracic incision with sterile towel

Mobilization of Stomach

Elevate sternum and left lobe of liver in a cephalad direction

Incise peritoneum overlying abdominal esophagus

Mobilize lower esophagus as in per­forming a vagotomy and transect vagal trunks and surrounding phrenoesophageal ligaments

Cephalad portion of gastrohepatic ligament is doubly clamped, divided, and ligated with 2‑0 silk

Elevate gastrophrenic ligaments and transect

Short gastric vessel identify, clamp, divide and ligate

Left gastroepiploic artery identify, clamp, divide and ligate

Divide greater omentum serially between clamps

Identify origin of left gastric artery at celiac axis

Divide coronary vein between 2‑0 silk ligatures

Divide left gastric artery between 2‑0 silk ligatures

Do an extensive Kocher maneuver

o       Incise peritoneum lateral to proximal duodenum, continuing until 3rd portion of duodenum

o       Divide lateral duo­denal "ligament" behind descending duodenum

Dissect head of the pancreas from renal capsule, vena cava and aorta

Pull up pyloroduo­denal segment high in the abdomen, 10cm from esophageal hiatus, allowing gastric fundus to reach thoracic apex, or neck, without tension

Pyloromyotomy

o       Make a 2cm incision across anterior surface of pyloric sphincter muscle

o       Separate bluntly the muscle fibers with a hemostat until mucosa bulges out

Ancement of Stomach into Right Chest

o       Divide right crux of diaphragm transversely using electrocautery and di­late esophageal hiatus manually

o       Advance stomach into right hemithorax

o       Suture wall of stomach to the margins of hiatus with interrupted 3‑0 silk

o       Expose esopha­gogastric junction in the right chest

Cear the areolar tissue and fat pad from the region of esophagocardiac junction

Apply a TA‑55 stapler to the gastric side of this junction and fire staples

Apply a clamp to the esophagus, which should be transected flush with TA‑55 stapler

Place an umbilical tape over divided esophagus

Esophagogastric Anastomosis

o       Select a point on proximal esophagus 10cm above the tumor for anastomosis

o       Before re­moving specimen, insert posterior layer of sutures to attach posterior esophagus to anterior seromuscular layer of stomach at a point 6cm from cephalad end of fundus, using interrupted 4‑0 silk Cushing sutures deep enough to catch submucosa

o       Transect posterior wall of esophagus 0.5cm beyond first line of sutures

o       Make a transverse incision in stomach and control the bleeding points

o       Approximate posterior mucosal layer with interrupted 4-0 silk sutures, with the knots tied inside the lumen

o       Pass NGT from proximal esophagus through the anastomosis into the stomach

o       Detach specimen by dividing anterior wall of esophagus, leaving anterior wall of esophagus 1cm longer than the posterior

o       Execute anterior mucosal layer by means of interrupted sutures of 4‑0 silk, with the knots tied inside the lumen, thus inverting the mucosa

o       Accomplish 2nd anterior layer by means of interrupted Cushing sutures of 4‑0 silk

o       Tack fundus of stomach to prevertebral fascia and me­diastinal pleura at the apex of thorax with interrupted sutures of 3‑0 silk

 

Cervical Esophagogastric Anastomosis

o       In treating carcinoma of mid‑esophagus it is often necessary to resect entire thoracic esopha­gus, requiring an esophagogastric reconstruction in the neck

o       With patient's head turned slightly to the left, make an oblique incision along anterior border of right sternocleidomastoid muscle, carrying the incision through platysma

o       Identify and transect omohyoid muscle

o       Retract sternocleidomastoid muscle and carotid sheath laterally and retract the prethyroid muscles medi­ally to expose thyroid gland

o       Middle thyroid vein, when present, should be doubly ligated and divided

o       Apply a TA‑55 stapler to the specimen side and transect the esophagus low in the neck flush with the stapler

o       Remove specimen through thoracic incision

o       Pass the fundus of stomach through the thoracic inlet into cervical region

o       Anchor it to prevertebral fascia with several 3‑0 cotton sutures

o       Insert posterior layer of sutures to attach posterior esophagus to anterior seromuscular layer of stomach at a point 6cm from cephalad end of fundus, using interrupted 4‑0 silk Cushing sutures deep enough to catch submucosa

o       Make a transverse incision in stomach and control the bleeding points

o       Approximate posterior mucosal layer with interrupted 4-0 silk sutures, with the knots tied inside the lumen

o       Pass NGT from proximal esophagus through the anastomosis into the stomach

o       Detach specimen by dividing anterior wall of esophagus, leaving anterior wall of esophagus 1cm longer than the posterior

o       Execute anterior mucosal layer by means of interrupted sutures of 4‑0 silk, with the knots tied inside the lumen, thus inverting the mucosa

o       Accomplish 2nd anterior layer by means of interrupted Cushing sutures of 4‑0 silk

Lavage operative site with saline sol­ution

Place a Penrose drain out from prevertebral region through lower pole of incision

Approximate anterior border of sternocleidomastoid to strap muscles by inserting a layer of interrupted 3‑0 Vicryl sutures

Approximate the platysma using interrupted 3‑0 Vicryl sutures

Close the skin with continuous 4‑0 Vicryl subcuticular suture

Make a stab wound in the 7th intercostal space at the anterior axillary line

Insert a 36F chest tube through the stab wound and anchor it to the posterior pleura in the upper thorax with a 3-0 chromic catgut

Thoroughly irrigate thoracic and ab­dominal cavities with a saline solution

Ap­proximate the ribs with 4 interrupted pericostal sutures of PDS-1

Approximate serratus and pectoral muscles in layers by means of continuous 2‑0 Vicryl 2-0

Close the skin with interrupted 3‑0 silk

Before closing the abdomen, insert a needle­ catheter feeding jejunostomy

Hemostasis

Layer by layer closure of the abdomen

o       Peritoneum and fascia closed as single layer using  PG 0 continuous interlocking suture with interrupted silk 0 suture over the fascia every five continuous interlocking sutures

o       Subcutaneous tissue approximated using chromic 3-0 inverted T sutures

o       Ski9n closed by silk 3-0 interrupted sutures

Betadine

DSD

Patient tolerated procedure well