RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The surgical approach for patients with advanced epidermoid esophageal carcinoma should provide an effective palliative effect with morbidity ratio as low as possible. Anastomotic leakage is a frequent complication and may be responsible for both early and late morbidity and, therefore, we assessed the role of delayed cervical esophagovisceral anastomosis technique in relation to the incidence of anastomotic complications. METHODS: Eight patients (Group 1) and 12 patients (Group 2) submitted to one-stage or two-stage operation, respectively, were selected by an intraoperative assessment by the surgeon, considering mainly tissue blood flow of the replacement organ after its placement in the cervical region. RESULTS: In Group 1 anastomotic dehiscence was observed in 37.5% of patients, while in Group 2 no cases of dehiscence occurred (p = 0.049). However, the postoperative mortality rate did not differ between the two groups (12.5% versus 0%, NS). CONCLUSION: When organ viability is uncertain, esophagovisceral anastomosis is best done by two-stage operation, since it decreases the incidence of anastomotic leak.