OBJECTIVETo summarize early experience in combined thoraco-laparoscopic esophagectomy with two-field lymph node dissection for esophageal carcinoma.

METHODSA total of 150 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who underwent combined thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy in Union Hospital, Fujan Medical University, were enrolled in this study.

RESULTSLocations of the tumors included upper esophagus (n=14), middle esophagus (n=95), and lower esophagus (n=41). Pathological type showed squamous cell cancer (n=142) and other types of cancer (n=8). There was no intraoperative death. Conversion to open thoracotomy was required in 6 patients and conversion to open laparotomy in 2 patients. The average total operative time was( 258±45) min. The average operative thoracoscopic time was (140±33) min. The average time for gastric mobilization and neck esophagogastric anastomosis was (119±28) min. The average blood loss during the procedure was (207±130) ml. The average number of harvested lymph node with the specimen was 23.3±8.2. The tumor staging included stage I (n=39), II (n=58) and III (n=53). Postoperative complications occurred in 48(32%) patients including pneumonia (n=17), recurrent laryngeal injury (n=13), anastomotic leak (n=9), arrhythmias (n=9), chyle chest (n=5), delayed gastric emptying (n=5), ileus (n=2), volvulus (n=1), and thrombocytopenia (n=1). Two patients died postoperatively due to respiratory failure resulting from pneumonia.

CONCLUSIONThoraco-laparoscopic two-field lymph node dissection of esophageal cancer is a feasible minimally invasive approach.