Esophageal anastomosis: experience of open surgery and modern possibilities of video endoscopic technologies. A review

Abstract

The weakest link in laparoscopic gastrectomy is the esophageal anastomosis, the reliability of which, despite the large number of proposed techniques, remains insufficient. The article presents modern methods of intracorporeal esophageal anastomosis, assesses their advantages and disadvantages. Almost all techniques use a single-layered, mostly mechanical, suture. The probability of maintaining the tightness of a single-layered esophageal anastomosis in case of its healing by secondary tension is extremely small. The experience of open surgery has shown that the placement of the terminal esophagus and the first layer of sutures of anastomosis in a serous-muscular sheath, which is formed from the wall of the intestine or stomach using invagination or wrapping methods, provides a greater likelihood of maintaining the tightness of the anastomosis in any type of healing. Expanding indications for the use of these methods in open surgery and developing a technique for intracorporeal esophageal anastomosis with covering the first layer of sutures of anastomosis with the wall of the anastomosed organ seems to be a promising direction that can significantly reduce the incidence of anastomotic leak both in open and laparoscopic surgery.

Keywords

• esophageal anastomosis
• laparoscopic gastrectomy
• anastomosis suture failure
• anastomosis healing