Treatment of Iatrogenic Cervical Esophageal Transection following Thyroidectomy: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Background: iatrogenic cervical esophageal transection after thyroidectomy is an extremely rare condition that requires prompt diagnosis and surgical intervention.Case presentation: we reported a rare case of iatrogenic cervical esophageal transection following thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma in a 54-year-old woman. Primary repair was not achievable because of loss of a long segment of the cervical esophagus. A modified diversion was performed by inserting a T-tube into the remnant esophagus, followed by gastrostomy and jejunostomy. The next day, mediastinal abscess was detected on chest computed tomography; therefore, thoracoscopic mediastinotomy was performed, with placement of two drains. After 6 months, thoracoscopic esophagectomy, alimentary reconstruction with gastric pull-up, and cervical esophagogastrostomy anastomosis were performed. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 18, without complications.Conclusions: iatrogenic cervical esophageal transection following thyroidectomy is a rare but fatal complication. It can be successfully managed with a series of treatments, including modified diversion procedure, prompt drainage of mediastinitis, alimentary reconstruction with gastric pull-up, and cervical esophagogastrostomy anastomosis.

Anesthetic implications and role of preoperative beta blockade in esophageal substitution with stomach in pediatric surgical patients

Background There is a paucity of literature on the anesthetic management of pediatric esophageal substitution using the stomach. We did a retrospective analysis of all such cases done at our institution. We analyzed the patient’s demography, indication, and type of surgery, co-morbid conditions, anesthesia techniques, duration of postoperative ventilation, hospital stay, complications, and mortality. The use of beta-blockers and their effect on the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative tachycardia in gastric pull-up patients was also analyzed. Results Thirty-four cases of gastric substitution of the esophagus in children were done over 19-year period; gastric pull-up was done in 28 patients and a gastric tube was made in 6 patients. General anesthesia was given to all; a thoracic epidural for pain was sited in 25 patients. Twenty-eight patients were ventilated postoperatively; the mean duration of ventilation is 54 h. Significant intraoperative tachycardia was observed in 85.7% of patients without beta-blocker as compared to 23.8% patients with beta-blocker (p = 0.004). Postoperatively, tachycardia was absent in patients receiving beta-blocker and present in 71.4% of patients not receiving beta-blockers (p < 0.001). Overall mortality was 8.8% but mortality due to cardiac arrhythmia was 42.9% in the patients not receiving beta-blockers (p = 0.001). Conclusions A thorough preoperative preparation, control of tachyarrhythmias, postoperative ventilation, and pain management is recommended for a favorable outcome. In addition, our paper supports the preoperative use of beta-blockers in reducing the incidence of fatal tachyarrhythmias associated with gastric pull-up surgery without any serious adverse effects. Level of evidence Level III

Prospective cohort study of voice outcomes following secondary tracheoesophageal puncture in gastric pull-up reconstruction after total laryngopharyngoesophagectomy

Background Gastric pull-up is a reconstructive option for circumferential defects after resection of advanced laryngopharyngeal malignancy. Voice loss is expected and vocal rehabilitation remains a challenge. Our study objectives were to investigate the feasibility of secondary tracheoesophageal puncture following gastric pull-up and to analyze voice outcomes. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of patients with advanced laryngopharyngeal malignancies who underwent gastric pull-up and secondary tracheoesophageal puncture between 1988 and 2017 at a tertiary-care academic institution. Objective acoustic measures included fundamental frequency and vocal intensity. Perceptual analysis was performed using voice recordings (“Rainbow Passage”) randomly presented in a blinded fashion to four clinicians using the validated GRBAS scale. Speech intelligibility was assessed in a blinded fashion using a validated 7-point scale. Additionally, the Voice Handicap Index-10 was administered as a validated patient self-reporting tool. Results Ten patients (7 male, 3 female) were included, all of whom preferentially used tracheoesophageal puncture for communication. These patients had abnormal median fundamental frequency of 250 (interquartile range (IQR) 214–265) Hz and a limited median vocal intensity of 65.8 (IQR 64.1–68.3) dB. Perceptual analysis (GRBAS) revealed a median ‘moderate’ degree of impairment [grade 2 (IQR 2–3), roughness 2 (IQR 2–3), breathiness 3 (IQR 2–3), asthenia 2 (IQR 1–2), strain 2 (IQR 1–2)] as did median intelligibility scores [median 5 (IQR 4–7)]. Most patients self-reported an abnormal voice handicap-10 [median 26.5 (IQR 22.8–35.0)]. Conclusion Secondary tracheoesophageal puncture is a safe and feasible option for voice rehabilitation after gastric pull-up. Although analyses demonstrated moderate subjective and objective impairment, tracheoesophageal puncture provided patients with a self-reported means of functional verbal communication and was their preferred method of communication. Graphical abstract

Efficacy of vonoprazan for refractory reflux esophagitis after esophagectomy

Background: Refractory reflux esophagitis (RRE), unresponsive to conventional proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) is a complication in esophagectomy with gastric pull-up. Vonoprazan, a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker, has been available in Japan since 2015. Here, we investigated the efficacy of vonoprazan on PPI-resistant RRE after esophagectomy with gastric pull-up. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study. We used the revised Los Angeles (r-LA) classification based on the Los Angeles (LA) classification and the modified Los Angeles (m-LA) classification to evaluate abnormal forms of mucosal breaks such as spreading laterally consistently. Patients who underwent esophagectomy with gastric pull-up and had RRE grade B–D as per the r-LA classification, despite using standard dose PPIs or double-dose of rabeprazole, were included. Sixteen patients who switched to vonoprazan (20 mg/day) and 14 patients who continued PPIs were assigned to the vonoprazan and PPI groups, respectively. Endoscopic observations were reviewed by three endoscopists using the r-LA classification to ensure consistent diagnosis, while treatment arm and patient information were blinded to evaluators. We defined mucosal breaks that improved by at least one grade after treatment as improved mucosa and recovery to grade M or N as mucosal healing. Results: The percentage of patients with improved mucosa in the vonoprazan and PPI groups was 81.3% and 14.3%, respectively (p<0.001). The rate of mucosal healing was 68.8% and 7.1%, respectively (p=0.001). Conclusions: Vonoprazan significantly improved PPI-resistant RRE after esophagectomy with gastric pull-up.