Minimally Invasive Surgical Enucleation or Esophagogastrectomy for Benign Tumor of the Esophagus

Abstract

Experience in surgical resection of benign tumor of the esophagus is limited. Authors performed a chart review of 5 patients who underwent minimally invasive surgical resection of benign esophageal tumor. Main outcome measures included operative approaches, tumor's location and size, and outcomes. Tumor location were middle esophagus (n = 1), distal esophagus (n = 2), and gastroesophageal junction (n = 2). There were 4 females with a mean age of 55 years. Surgical approaches included thoracoscopic enucleation (n = 1), laparoscopic enucleation (n = 1), and laparoscopic and thoracoscopic Ivor Lewis esophagogastrectomy (n = 3). There were no open conversions. Mean operative time for enucleation was 127 minutes and 240 minutes for Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. Mean hospital stay was 5.8 days. There were no major or minor complications. Three patients developed stomal stenosis. The 30-day mortality was zero. Surgical pathology showed leiomyoma in 3 patients and gastrointestinal stromal tumor in 2 patients. Tumor size ranged from 1.1 to 10.5 cm. There has been no tumor recurrence at a mean follow-up of 14 months. Minimally invasive surgical enucleation or esophagogastrectomy for benign esophageal tumor is feasible and safe. The optimal approaches should be tailored based on the location and size of the tumor.