Endoscopic vacuum therapy versus stenting for postoperative esophago-enteric anastomotic leakage: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Esophageal anastomotic leakage still represents a challenging complication after esophageal surgery. Endoscopically placed self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) are the treatment of choice, but since the introduction of endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) for esophageal leakage 10 years ago, increasing evidence has demonstrated that EVT might be a superior alternative. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness and related morbidity of SEMS and EVT in the treatment of esophageal leak. Methods We systematically searched for studies comparing SEMS and EVT to treat anastomotic leakage after esophageal surgery. Predefined end points including outcome, treatment success, endoscopy, treatment duration, hospitalization time, morbidity, and mortality were assessed and included in the meta-analysis. Results Five retrospective studies including 274 patients matched the inclusion criteria. Compared with stenting, EVT was significantly associated with a higher rate of leak closure (odds ratio [OR] 3.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23 to 7.98), more endoscopic device changes (pooled median difference of 3.09; 95%CI 1.54 to 4.64]), a shorter duration of treatment (pooled median difference -11.90 days; 95%CI -18.59 to -5.21 days), and a lower mortality rate (OR 0.39, 95%CI 0.18 to 0.83). There were no significant differences in short-term and major complications. Conclusions Owing to the retrospective quality of the studies with potential biases, the results of the meta-analysis must be interpreted with caution. However, the analysis indicates the potential benefit of EVT, which should be further investigated with standardized and prospectively collected data.