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This study aims to assess the feasibility of the Overlap anastomosis technique in minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy. An accompanying video presentation elucidates our surgical procedures. A retrospective review of 46 patients diagnosed with middle and lower esophageal cancer was conducted. These patients underwent minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy with Overlap anastomosis between January 2019 and December 2020. A consistent team of surgeons performed all procedures. The initial phase involved laparoscopic stomach mobilization, intra-abdominal lymphadenectomies, and preparation of the tubular stomach. Subsequently, with the patient in the left decubitus position, thoracoscopy was used to dissect the esophagus, excise the diseased segment, and conduct mediastinal lymph node dissection. The final stage encompassed the intrathoracic gastroesophageal anastomosis using the Overlap method. All surgeries were completed without converting to an open approach, achieving complete resection. There were no operative fatalities, with an average surgery duration of 259.4 min. Average statistics included intraoperative blood loss of 92.3 ml, 16.2 lymph nodes dissected, and a postoperative hospital stay of 10.3 days. Postoperative complications comprised three instances of hoarseness due to recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, two cases of aspiration pneumonia, one occurrence of chylothorax, and one gastric emptying disorder. Anastomotic technique-related complications were minimal, with only one patient experiencing an anastomotic leak that resolved spontaneously and two patients facing anastomotic stenosis, which was subsequently alleviated. Our findings posit that the Overlap anastomosis method is safe and efficient for minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy, marked by a notably low rate of anastomosis-related complications. Further evaluation of its long-term implications remains necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The search for the optimal procedure for creation of a safe gastroesophageal intrathoracic anastomosis with a lower risk of leakage in totally minimally invasive Ivor–Lewis esophagectomy (TMIIL) is ongoing. In the present study, we compared the outcomes of end-to-side (with circular stapler [CS]) and side-to-side (with linear stapler [LS]) techniques for intrathoracic anastomosis during TMIIL performed in 2 European high-volume centers for upper gastrointestinal surgery. A propensity score method was used to compare the CS and LS groups. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients with lower esophageal cancer or Siewert type 1 or 2 esophagogastric junction carcinoma who underwent a planned TMIIL esophagectomy, performed from January 2017 to September 2020. The anastomosis was created by a semi-mechanical technique using a LS in one center and by a mechanical technique using a CS in the other center. General features, operative techniques, pathology data, and short-term outcomes were analyzed. Statistical evaluations were performed on the whole cohort, stratifying the analyses by risk strata factors identified with the propensity scores, and on a subgroup of patients matched by propensity score. The primary endpoint of the study was the rate of anastomotic leakage in the two groups. Secondary endpoints included rates of anastomotic stricture and overall postoperative complications. Results: Considering the whole population, 256 patients were included; of those, 220 received the anastomosis with a circular stapler (CS group), and 36 received the anastomosis with a linear stapler (LS group). No significant differences by group in terms of sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, and type of neoplasm were showed. The rate of anastomotic leakage did not differ in the two groups (9.6% CS vs. 5.6% LS, p = 0.438), as well as the rate of anastomotic stricture in the 3-month follow-up (0.9% CS vs. 2.8% LS, p = 0.367). The rate of chyle leakage and of pulmonary, cardiac, and infective complications was not significantly different in the groups. After propensity score matching, 72 patients were included in the analysis. The 2 obtained propensity score matched groups did not differ for any of the clinical and pathologic variables considered for the analysis, resulting in well-balanced cohorts. The results obtained on the whole population were confirmed in the matched groups. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that both techniques for esophagogastric anastomosis during TMIIL are feasible, safe, and effective, with comparable rates of postoperative anastomotic leakage and stricture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main clinical treatment for esophageal cancer is surgery. Since traditional open esophageal cancer resection has the disadvantages of large trauma, long recovery period, and high postoperative complication rate, its clinical application is gradually reduced. The current report of minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy (MIILE) is increasing. However, researchers found that patients with MIILE had a higher incidence of early delayed gastric emptying (DGE)., Aim: To investigate the influencing factors of postoperative early DGE after MIILE., Methods: A total of 156 patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer at Deyang People's Hospital were enrolled. According to the criteria of DGE, patients were assigned to a DGE group ( n = 49) and a control group ( n = 107). The differences between the DGE group and the control group were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to further determine the influencing factors of postoperative early DGE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess potential factors in predicting postoperative early DGE., Results: Age, intraoperative blood loss, chest drainage time, portion of anxiety score ≥ 45 points, analgesia pump use, postoperative to enteral nutrition interval, and postoperative fluid volume in the DGE group were higher than those in the control group. Perioperative albumin level in the DGE group was lower than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). Age, anxiety score, perioperative albumin level, and postoperative fluid volume were independent factors influencing postoperative early DGE, and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) for anxiety score was 0.720. The optimum cut-off value was 39, and the sensitivity and specificity were 80.37% and 65.31%, respectively. The AUC for postoperative fluid volume were 0.774. The optimal cut-off value was 1191.86 mL, and the sensitivity and specificity were 65.3% and 77.6%, respectively. The AUC for perioperative albumin level was 0.758. The optimum cut-off value was 26.75 g/L, and the sensitivity and specificity were 97.2% and 46.9%, respectively., Conclusion: Advanced age, postoperative anxiety, perioperative albumin level, and postoperative fluid volume can increase the incidence of postoperative early DGE., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.