Endoscopic Vacuum-Assisted Closure Therapy in Patients with Anastomotic Leakage after Esophagectomy: A Single-Center Experience.
Gastroenterol Res Pract 2018;
2018:1697968. [PMID:
29849581 PMCID:
PMC5904779 DOI:
10.1155/2018/1697968]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim
To study the efficacy of E-VAC therapy for patients with anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy.
Methods
Between January 2013 and April 2017, 12 patients underwent E-VAC therapy for the management of postoperative leakage. Their clinical features and endoscopic procedure details, therapy results, adverse events, and survival were investigated.
Results
All 12 patients were male and the median age was 57 years (interquartile range 51.5–62.8 years). The reasons for esophageal surgery were esophageal cancer (83.3%), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (8.3%), and esophageal diverticulum (8.3%). Prior to E-VAC therapy, 6 patients had undergone failed primary surgical repair and the median duration from esophagectomy to leakage discovery was 13.5 days (IQR 6–207 days). The median duration of E-VAC therapy was 25 days (IQR 13.5–34.8 days) and the average sponge exchange rate was 2.7 times during the treatment period. After E-VAC therapy, 8 patients (66.7%) had complete leakage closure, 3 (25%) had a decreased leakage size, and 1 (8.3%) was unchanged. The three patients with a decreased leakage size after E-VAC therapy were treated with endoscopic and conservative management without further surgery.
Conclusion
With proper patient selection, E-VAC therapy is a feasible and safe method for the treatment of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy.
Collapse