ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the feasibility and safety of transabdominal perposterior mediastinum radical operation in the treatment of cardiac carcinoma. Methods Twenty-six cases of cardiac carcinoma invading low esophagus underwent transabdominal posterior mediastinum radical resection. Among them 9 patients received radical proximal gastroesophagectomy, and 17 cases did radical total gastroesophagectomy. Results The procedures were all successful. The mean operation time for total gastrectomy was (189±39) min, proximal subtotal gastrectomy was (153±35) min. The averge blood loss of total gastrectomy was (200±80) ml, proximal subtotal gastrectomy was (168±76) ml. The harvest of celiac lymph nodes were (23.3±7.3), esophageal lymph nodes were (4.1±2.0). Pneumonia was complicated in 4 cases and there was no anastomotic hemorrhage, leakage nor stenosis. All patients were followed up from 5 to 51 months, liver metastasis was found in 4 cases, lung metastasis in 2 patients and death in 1. There was no anastomotic stoma tumor recurrence. Conclusion It was feasible and safe to perform transabdominal perposterior mediastinum radical operation for cardiac carcinoma patients, provided that diaphragms was not involved and tumor invaded esophageal length was less than 5 cm.