Butyricimonas is a key gut microbiome component for predicting postoperative recurrence of esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recently, intestinal bacteria have attracted attention as factors affecting the prognosis of patients with cancer. However, the intestinal microbiome is composed of several hundred types of bacteria, necessitating the development of an analytical method that can allow the use of this information as a highly accurate biomarker. In this study, we investigated whether the preoperative intestinal bacterial profile in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgery after preoperative chemotherapy could be used as a biomarker of postoperative recurrence of esophageal cancer. METHODS: We determined the gut microbiome of the patients using 16S rRNA metagenome sequencing, followed by statistical analysis. Simultaneously, we performed a machine learning analysis using a random forest model with hyperparameter tuning and compared the data obtained. RESULTS: Statistical and machine learning analyses revealed two common bacterial genera, Butyricimonas and Actinomyces, which were abundant in cases with recurrent esophageal cancer. Butyricimonas primarily produces butyrate, whereas Actinomyces are oral bacteria whose function in the gut is unknown. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that Butyricimonas spp. may be a biomarker of postoperative recurrence of esophageal cancer. Although the extent of the involvement of these bacteria in immune regulation remains unknown, future research should investigate their presence in other pathological conditions. Such research could potentially lead to a better understanding of the immunological impact of these bacteria on patients with cancer and their application as biomarkers.

Impact of the Barthel Index Score and Prognosis on Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have compared the Barthel Index (BI) score and postoperative outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). We aimed to examine the relationship between the BI score and postoperative outcomes in patients who underwent TAVR and SAVR.Methods and Results: The study included patients who underwent SAVR between January 2014 and December 2022 (n=293) and patients who underwent TAVR between January 2016 and December 2022 (n=312). We examined the risk factors for long-term mortality in the 2 groups. The mean (±SD) preoperative BI score was 88.7±18.0 in the TAVR group and 95.8±12.3 in the SAVR group. The home discharge rate was significantly lower in the SAVR than TAVR group. The BI score at discharge was significantly higher in the SAVR than in TAVR group (86.2 vs. 80.2; P<0.001). Significant risk factors for long-term mortality in the TAVR group were sex (P<0.001) and preoperative hemoglobin level (P=0.008), whereas those in the SAVR group were preoperative albumin level (P=0.04) and postoperative BI score (P=0.02). The cut-off point of the postoperative BI score determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was 60.0. CONCLUSIONS: The BI score at discharge was a significant risk factor for long-term mortality in the SAVR group, with a cut-off value of 60.0.

[Complete Disruption of the Left Main Bronchus Treated with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support and Pneumonectomy].

A 60-year old woman, sandwiched between two boats was brought to our hospital with severe respiratory failure. She was in pre-shock and there was extensive cutaneous emphysema from the face to abdomen. She required respirator support and bilateral chest tubes for hemopneumothorax. On the patient's 3rd hospital day, she received venovenous extracorporeal membrance oxgenation( ECMO) due to sudden ventilatory failure. The bronchofiberscopy revealed complete disruption of the left main bronchus and occlusion of the right one owing to blood clot and sputum. Because of significant destruction of the left main bronchus, we didn't attempt bronchoplasty, and performed left pneumonectomy under veno-venous (VV)-ECMO. The postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged after 30 days with satisfactory outcome.

Open abdominal management after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: from a single-center study in Japan.

PURPOSE: We investigated the utility of the open abdominal management (OA) technique for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA). METHODS: Between January 2016 and August 2021, 33 patients underwent open surgery for rAAA at our institution. The patients were divided into OA (n = 12) and non-OA (n = 21) groups. We compared preoperative characteristics, operative data, and postoperative outcomes between the two groups. The intensive care unit management and abdominal wall closure statuses of the OA group were evaluated. RESULTS: The OA group included significantly more cases of a preoperative shock than the non-OA group. The operation time was also significantly longer in the OA group than in the non-OA group. The need for intraoperative fluids, amount of bleeding, and need for blood transfusion were significantly higher in the OA group than in the non-OA group. Negative pressure therapy (NPT) systems are useful in OA. In five of the six survivors in the OA group, abdominal closure was able to be achieved using components separation (CS) technique. CONCLUSIONS: NPT and the CS technique may increase the abdominal wall closure rate in rAAA surgery using OA and are expected to improve outcomes.

[Surgical Outcomes Prior to Antibiotics Administration for Infective Endocarditis].

OBJECT: We examined the surgical outcomes for infective endocarditis (IE) at our institution. METHODS: Between January 2012 and March 2022, we operated on 43 patients who diagnosed active IE. We decided to perform surgery after antibiotics administration for at least two weeks. RESULTS: The mean age was 63.9 years old, and 28 male were included. The affected valves were 12 aortic valves, and 26 mitral valved and five multi valves, the causative microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus 14 patient, Staphylococcus spp. 3 patients, Streptococcus spp. 17 patients, Enterococcus spp. 3 patients, and others 6 patients. One patient underwent aortic valve repair, and 17 patients underwent aortic valve preplacement. Twenty four underwent mitral valve repair, and eight underwent mitral valve replacement. The duration of preoperative antibiotics administration was 27.7±2.1 days (median 28 days). There were six in-hospital death (motality 14.0%). The five-years survival rate was 78.1% and the freedom from cardiac events at five years was 88.4%. CONCLUSION: The strategy for preoperative management and timing of surgery for IE patients at our institution was appropriate.

Prognostic significance of NY-ESO-1 antigen and PIGR expression in esophageal tumors of CHP-NY-ESO-1-vaccinated patients as adjuvant therapy.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and the biomarkers of the CHP-NY-ESO-1 vaccine complexed with full-length NY-ESO-1 protein and a cholesteryl pullulan (CHP) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after surgery. We conducted a randomized phase II trial. Fifty-four patients with NY-ESO-1-expressing ESCC who underwent radical surgery following cisplatin/5-fluorouracil-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy were assigned to receive either CHP-NY-ESO-1 vaccination or observation as control. Six doses of CHP-NY-ESO-1 were administered subcutaneously once every two weeks, followed by nine more doses once every four weeks. The endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS) and safety. Exploratory analysis of tumor tissues using gene-expression profiles was also performed to seek the biomarker. As there were no serious adverse events in 27 vaccinated patients, we verified the safety of the vaccine. DFS in 2 years were 56.0% and 58.3% in the vaccine arm and in the control, respectively. Twenty-four of 25 patients showed NY-ESO-1-specific IgG responses after vaccination. Analysis of intra-cohort correlations among vaccinated patients revealed that 5% or greater expression of NY-ESO-1 was a favorable factor. Comprehensive analysis of gene expression profiles revealed that the expression of the gene encoding polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (PIGR) in tumors had a significantly favorable impact on outcomes in the vaccinated cohort. The high PIGR-expressing tumors that had higher NY-ESO-1-specific IgA response tended to have favorable prognosis. These results suggest that PIGR would play a major role in tumor immunity in an antigen-specific manner during NY-ESO-1 vaccinations. The IgA response may be relevant.

New Assay System Elecsys Anti-p53 to Detect Serum Anti-p53 Antibodies in Esophageal Cancer Patients and Colorectal Cancer Patients: Multi-institutional Study.

BACKGROUND: Several recent studies suggest that serum anti-p53 antibodies (s-p53-Abs) may be combined with other markers to detect esophageal and colorectal cancer. In this study, we assessed the sensitivity and specificity of s-p53-Abs detection of a new electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA; Elecsys anti-p53). METHODS: Elecsys anti-p53 assay was used to analyze the level of s-p53-Abs in blood sera from patients with esophageal or colorectal cancer taken before treatment. Control blood sera from healthy volunteers, patients with benign diseases, and patients with autoimmune diseases served as a reference. In addition, squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) and cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA21-1) were assessed in patients with esophageal cancer, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 were assessed in patients with colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Samples from 281 patients with esophageal cancer, 232 patients with colorectal cancer, and 532 controls were included in the study. The median value of s-p53-Abs in control samples was < 0.02 µg/mL (range < 0.02-29.2 µg/mL). Assuming 98% specificity, the cut-off value was determined as 0.05 µg/mL. s-p53-Abs were detected in 20% (57/281) of patients with esophageal cancer and 18% (42/232) of patients with colorectal cancer. In combination with SCC-Ag and CEA, respectively, s-p53-Abs detected 51% (144/281) of patients with esophageal and 53% (124/232) of patients with colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The new s-p53-Abs assay Elecsys anti-p53 was useful in detecting esophageal and colorectal cancers with high specificity. Adding s-p53-Abs to conventional markers significantly improved the overall detection rates.

Narrow-band Imaging Examination of Microvascular Architecture of Subcapsular Hepatic Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative ultrasonography is the golden standard method for evaluation of liver tumors during hepatectomy. However, in laparoscopic surgery, accurate assessment of tumors may be difficult, particularly if the lesion is located nearby the liver surface because of the challenges in handling the intraoperative ultrasound and the lack of tactile sensation. In this study, we demonstrate the preliminary results of examining the microvascular architecture of subcapsular hepatic tumors using laparoscopic narrow-band imaging (NBI) to distinguish between malignant and benign tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five lesions were examined by NBI during laparoscopic hepatectomy for the presence of abnormal microvasculature on the liver surface in relation to hepatic tumors from January 2016 to August 2018. The microvascular findings were correlated with tumor localization and pathological diagnosis. RESULTS: The 35 examined nodules included 11 hepatocellular carcinoma, 18 colorectal liver metastasis, and six benign nodules. The mean tumor diameter was 26.3 (3-70) mm, and the distance from the liver surface to the tumor was 0.5 (0-5) mm. Microvessels on the liver surface were clearly visualized by NBI, consistent with malignant tumor localization. The tumors were thoroughly examined for the presence of three pathological microvascular features (enlargement, tortuosity, and heterogeneity). Abnormal microvascular patterns were found in 90.9% of hepatocellular carcinoma and 77.8% of colorectal liver metastasis, whereas neither normal sites nor benign lesions displayed microvascular abnormality. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that observing the microvessel image on the liver surface by NBI could be useful in tumor localization and differentiation between benign and malignant lesions.

Tumoral calcinosis due to severe hyperphosphatemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism without vascular calcification in a hemodialysis patient.

We report a case of a 32-year-old man who was undergoing chronic hemodialysis and had hyperphosphatemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) with multiple tumoral calcinosis (TC) lesions refractory to drug therapy. Total parathyroidectomy and autotransplantation were performed, and he recovered from TC within 3 months. Several soft-tissue calcifications were present, but neither computed tomography (CT) before diagnosis nor CT performed 12 months after surgery detected evidence of vascular calcification (VC), despite persistence of hyperphosphatemia. This patient had a high calcium (Ca) × phosphate (P) product and calciprotein particles, and high serum Ca and P levels are important risk factors for both TC and VC. P plays a crucial role in regulation of VC, but the absence of VC in our case suggests a specific circumstance in which VC does not progress even under a high phosphatemic state, and that P alone may be insufficient for VC progression. TC in our patient was probably due to severe SHPT and continuous high serum P and Ca × P product levels, but the absence of VC suggests that the pathophysiologic process leading to VC requires further investigation, particularly in chronic kidney disease.

What are the important prognostic factors in gastric cancer with positive duodenal margins? A multi-institutional analysis.

PURPOSE: Positive margins are reported in from 4.8 to 9.5% of all gastric cancer surgeries and they have a negative impact on the overall survival. Few cases with positive duodenal margins have been included in previous studies regarding the prognosis. METHODS: This multi-institutional retrospective study included 115 gastric cancer patients with positive duodenal margins following gastrectomy between January 2002 and December 2017. The association between clinicopathological factors and the overall survival was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The three-year overall survival was 22% and the median survival was 13 months. A multivariate analysis found that distant metastasis, no postoperative chemotherapy, and non-Type 4 disease were significantly associated with a poor survival. Patients without distant metastasis who received postoperative chemotherapy had a 3-year overall survival of 56% and a median survival of 44 months. CONCLUSION: The patients who underwent post-operative chemotherapy showed a significantly better OS compared with those who did not undergo post-operative chemotherapy, regardless of the existence of distant metastasis. Postoperative chemotherapy may, therefore, improve the prognosis of surgically treated gastric cancer patients with positive duodenal margins.

[To Improve the Results of Surgery for Stanford Type A Acute Aortic Dissection:Strategy for Organ Malperfusion].

OBJECTIVES: We presented the results of surgery for Stanford type A acute aortic dissection at our hospital and described strategies for organ malperfusion (especially brain malperfusion). RESULTS: From January 2012 to December 2019, we underwent 174 patients of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection at our hospital. There were 47 patients( 27.0%) with postoperative cerebral infarction (stroke group). Compared to the non-stroke group, the stroke group had significantly more cases of persistent central nervous system malperfusion before surgery and had more intraoperative bleeding and blood transfusion. The hospital mortality was 23.4% in the stroke group and 3.9% in the non-stroke group( p<0.001). As a result of multivariate analysis, risk factors for hospital mortality were preoperative endotracheal intubation, long-term cardiopulmonary bypass time and postoperative stroke. The risk factor for postoperative stroke was preoperative central nervous system malperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: As a strategy for cerebral malperfusion, it is useful to use the right axillary artery blood supply and the isolated cerebral perfusion method.

Six autoantibodies as potential serum biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma: A prospective multicenter study.

Serum autoantibodies have been reported to react with tumor-associated antigen (TAA) in various cancers. This multicenter study evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic value of six autoantibodies against a panel of six hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-associated antigens, including Sui1, p62, RalA, p53, NY-ESO-1 and c-myc. A total of 160 patients with HCC and 74 healthy controls were prospectively enrolled from six institutions. Serum antibody titers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The sensitivities were 19% for Sui1, 18% for p62, 17% for RalA, 11% for p53, 10% for NY-ESO-1 and 9% for c-myc. Overall sensitivity of the TAA panel (56%) was higher than that of α-fetoprotein (41%, P < .05). The combined sensitivity of the TAA panel and α-fetoprotein was significantly higher than that of α-fetoprotein alone (P < .001). The difference in overall survival of TAA panel-positive and panel-negative patients was significant when the Stage I/II patients were combined (P = .023). Overall survival was worse in NY-ESO-1 antibody-positive than in NY-ESO-1 antibody-negative patients (P = .002). Multivariate analysis found that positivity for the TAA panel was independently associated with poor prognosis (P = .030). This TAA panel may have diagnostic and prognostic value in the patients with HCC.

Minimally invasive esophagectomy and radical lymph node dissection without recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis.

BACKGROUND: We introduce a novel operative technique to dissect lymph nodes adjacent to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, referred to as the "native tissue preservation" technique. Using this technique, there was no damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which is maintained in its anatomical position. METHODS: From September 2016 to December 2018, minimally invasive esophagectomy was performed in the left lateral decubitus position in 87 patients with esophageal cancer. The native tissue preservation technique for lymphadenectomy around the recurrent laryngeal nerve was used, and all patients were evaluated for recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis. RESULTS: Minimally invasive esophagectomy was completed in all patients without conversion to thoracotomy. Although an extended lymphadenectomy was performed in all patients, there were no grade II or higher complications (Clavien-Dindo classification) and no incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis. CONCLUSION: The native tissue preservation technique may reduce the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis after minimally invasive esophagectomy with radical lymph node dissection.

Virtual reality with three-dimensional image guidance of individual patients' vessel anatomy in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy.

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional virtual endoscopy (3DVE) has the potential advantage of enhanced anatomic delineation and spatial orientation during laparoscopic procedures. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of 3DVE guidance in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP). METHODS: Thirty-eight patients presenting to our hospital with a variety of pancreatic tumors underwent preoperative computed tomography scanning to clearly define the major peripancreatic vasculature and correlate it with a 3DVE system (SYNAPSE VINCENT: Fujifilm Medical, Tokyo, Japan). This map served as the guide during preoperative planning, surgical education, and simulation and as intraoperative navigation reference for LDP. Operative records and pathological findings were analyzed for each procedure. Operative parameters were compared between the 38 patients in this study and 8 patients performed without 3DVE guidance at our institution. RESULTS: The 3DVE navigation system successfully created a preoperative resection map in all patients. Relevant peripancreatic vasculature displayed on the system was identified and compared during the intervention. The mean blood loss in LDP performed under 3DVE guidance versus LDP without 3DVE was 168.5 +/- 347.6 g versus 330.0 +/- 211.4 g, p = 0.008 while and the operative time was 171.9 +/- 51.7 min versus 240.6 +/- 24.8 min, p = 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: 3DVE in conjunction with a "laparoscopic eye" creates a preoperative and intraoperative three-dimensional data platform that potentially enhances the accuracy and safety of LDP.

Preventing clinically relevant pancreatic fistula with combination of linear stapling plus continuous suture of the stump in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic fistula is one of the serious complications for patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy, which leads to significant morbidity. The aim of our study is to compare linear stapling closure plus continuous suture with linear stapling closure alone during laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) in terms of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) rate. METHODS: Twenty-two patients underwent LDP at our institution between 2011 and 2013. Twelve patients had linear stapling closure with peri-firing compression (LSC) alone compared with ten patients who had linear stapling closure, peri-firing compression plus continuous suture (LSC/CS) for stump closure of remnant pancreas in LDP. Biochemical leak and clinically relevant POPF were compared between both groups. RESULTS: POPF occurred in 4 of 12 (33.3%) patients with linear stapling closure while no patient developed a clinically relevant POPF in the triple combination of linear stapling, peri-firing compression plus continuous suture group (p = 0.043).1 patient (8.3%) in the LSC group and 5 patients (50%) in the LSC/CS group had evidence of a biochemical leak. There were no significant differences in operative time (188.3 vs 187.0 min) and blood loss (135 vs. 240 g) between both groups but there was a significantly of shorter length of hospital stay (11.9 vs. 19.9 days) in LSC/CS group (p = 0.037). There was no mortality in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The triple combination of linear stapling, peri-firing compression plus continuous suture in LDP has effectively prevented occurrence of clinically relevant ISGPF POPF. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was retrospectively registered September 30, 2019 at Showa University Ethics Committee as IRB protocol numbers 2943.

Individualized procedures for splenic artery dissection during laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy.

BACKGROUND: There are no established standard criteria for choosing the most appropriate procedure of splenic artery dissection during laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical benefits of individualized procedures for splenic artery dissection during LDP based on the variations in arterial structure visualized on preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT). METHODS: Patients who underwent LDP following 3D-CT at a single center were retrospectively evaluated. 3D-CT images were used to construct virtual 3D laparoscopic images for surgical planning. The splenic artery was classified into two major anatomic types: type S that curves and runs suprapancreatic and type D that runs straight and dorsal to the pancreas. Splenic artery dissection was planned according to these two variations, with type S dissected using an suprapancreatic approach and type D using a dorsal approach. RESULTS: Type-specific dissection was applied for 30 patients: 25 (83%) with type S and 5 (17%) with type D splenic artery anatomies. In 25 (83%) patients, the splenic artery was successfully dissected using the planned surgical procedure, whereas the surgical plan had to be altered in 5 cases (17%) due to difficulty in dissecting the splenic artery. CONCLUSION: The individualized procedures for splenic artery dissection according to anatomic variations visualized on 3D-CT images can help improve the success and safety of LDP.

[Basic Technique of Reconstruction after Esophagectomy by Gastric Tube].

Reconstruction after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is concluded with 3 factors like as choice of organ, construction route and anastomotic method. The stomach is commonly preferred as a reconstructive organ at over 80% hospitals in Japan. This is known as the gastric tube. But, there are 3 types of a gastric tube as a whole stomach, a sub-whole stomach and a narrow gastric tube. Surgeons should choice a proper type under these characteristics of a reconstructive distance and a blood flow. In our hospital, we use a sub-whole stomach willingly through post sternal route. The rate of anastomotic leakage was 2.7%.And there were no problems to raise up to cervical side. Still more, it is referred to the problem between reconstructive route.

Determination of the surgical margin in laparoscopic liver resections using infrared indocyanine green fluorescence.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic liver resection is increasingly used to treat patients with hepatic tumor. However, during laparoscopic resection, information obtained by palpation using laparoscopic forceps or from intraoperative ultrasonography is extremely limited, which may pose a risk for positive surgical margins. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and clinical application of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging to guide laparoscopic liver resection of a liver tumor and secure the surgical margins. METHODS: A preliminary study in 25 patients was conducted. NIR imaging was used intraoperatively during laparoscopic liver resection. The liver tumors were preoperatively labeled by intravenously injecting the patients with indocyanine green dye (0.5 mg/kg), an NIR fluorescence agent. During the surgical procedure, the PINPOINT Endoscopic Fluorescence Imaging System was used to assess the surgical margin by using real-time endoscopic high-definition visible and NIR fluorescence imaging. RESULTS: All tumors were identified and resected laparoscopically by using the PINPOINT system, and all resections successfully secured the surgical margin. The pathological findings of all tumors indicated negative margins, defined as R0. CONCLUSIONS: This technique showed the potential to improve the intraoperative identification and demarcation of tumors. Its use could potentially reduce the number of positive resection margins.

[Present and Future of Navigation Surgery in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery].

Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery is recognized as technically demanding due to the complicated local anatomy and diverse anatomical variation that require precise techniques. Therefore, preoperative simulation to understand the detailed local anatomy and intraoperative navigation methods for surgical guidance are needed. Intraoperative navigation for anatomical hepatectomy originated with dye injection into the dominant portal pedicle under intraoperative ultrasound guidance to identify hepatic segments, which was reported by Makuuchi et al in 1985. In recent years, with advancing medical technology, newer medical devices that promote the safety and reliability of various surgical procedures have been developed. In this article, we will discuss the current state and future prospects of intraoperative navigation in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery.

Thoracoscopic and hand assisted laparoscopic esophagectomy with radical lymph node dissection for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the left lateral decubitus position: a single center retrospective analysis of 654 patients.

BACKGROUND: The rates of thoracoscopic esophagectomy performed in the prone and left lateral decubitus positions are similar in Japan. We retrospectively reviewed short- and long-term outcomes of thoracoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer performed in the left lateral decubitus position. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2015, 654 patients with esophageal cancer underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the left lateral decubitus position. Patients were divided into early (1996-2008) and late groups (2009-2015, with standardization of the procedure and formalized training), and their clinical outcomes reviewed. RESULTS: The completion rate of thoracoscopic esophagectomy was 99.5%, and the procedure was converted to thoracotomy in three patients, due to hemorrhage. The mean intrathoracic operative time, intrathoracic blood loss, and number of dissected mediastinal lymph nodes were 205.0 min, 127.3 mL, and 24.7, respectively. Postoperative complications included pneumonia (8.5%), anastomotic leakage (7.5%), and recurrent nerve paralysis (3.5%). Postoperative (30d) mortality was 4/654 (0.61%) due to anastomotic leak and pneumonia. The five year overall survival rate was 70%. A comparison of the 289 early- and 365 late-study period cases revealed significant differences in mean intrathoracic blood loss (174.0 vs. 94.2 mL), number of mediastinal lymph nodes dissected (20.0 vs. 28.4), hospital length of stay (33.4 vs. 20.0 days, p < 0.001), and postoperative anastomotic leakage (14% vs. 1.6%, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Standardization of the procedure for thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the left lateral decubitus position, with a standardized clinical pathway for perioperative care led to significant improvements in surgical outcomes.