Comparison of short-term clinical outcomes between robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy and video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Though robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) is demonstrated to offer a better visualization and provide a fine dissection of the mediastinal structures to facilitate the complex thoracoscopic operation, the superiorities of RAMIE over MIE have not been well verified. The aim of this study was to explore the actual superiorities through comparing short-term results of RAMIE with that of MIE. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE and web of science databases were systematically searched up to September 1, 2020 for case-controlled studies that compared RAMIE with TLMIE. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were identified, with a total of 2,887 patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer, including 1,435 patients subjected to RAMIE group and 1,452 patients subjected to MIE group. The operative time in RAMIE was still significantly longer than that in MIE group (OR =0.785; 95% CI, 0.618-0.952; P<0.001). The incidence of pneumonia was significantly lower in RAMIE group compared with MIE group (OR =0.677; 95% CI, 0.468-0.979; P=0.038). CONCLUSIONS: RAMIE has the superiorities over MIE in short-term outcomes in terms of pneumonia and vocal cord palsy. Therefore, RAMIE could be considered as a standard treatment for patients with esophageal cancer.

Efficacy of 4 wk of home enteral feeding supplementation after esophagectomy on immune function: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: In recent years, home enteral nutrition (HEN) has been adopted as a feasible and safe form of nutrition for patients undergoing esophagectomy. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 4 wk of HEN with standard enteral nutrition (SEN) on immune function, nutritional status, and survival in patients undergoing esophagectomy. METHODS: A parallel-group, randomized, single-blind, clinical trial was conducted between April 1 and August 1, 2017. Eighty patients were enrolled in the study and 62 were eligible for analysis. An enteral feeding pump was used to infuse enteral nutrition via jejunostomy tube postoperatively. Patients in HEN group were instructed to independently administer jejunostomy feeds at home. Immune parameters and nutritional indicators were measured at preoperative day 7 and at postoperative day 30. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. The levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG, which can reflect a patient's immune function, significantly increased in the HEN group compared with those in the SEN group (P = 0.042 and P = 0.003, respectively). Comparing the two groups, 2-y progression-free survival and overall survival had no significant differences in survival curves (P = 0.36 and P = 0.29, respectively). CONCLUSION: Four weeks of HEN is a safe and feasible nutritional strategy to improve immune function and nutritional status after esophagectomy. Although there was no significant difference in survival between the two groups, HEN could still be more effective and beneficial than SEN to patients with defective nutritional and immune status.

Modified Collard versus end-to-side hand-sewn anastomosis for cervical anastomosis after McKeown esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: According to previously published studies, esophagectomy with modified Collard anastomosis has been reported to have low incidences of anastomotic leak and stricture. However, the optional anastomotic method after esophagectomy is still controversial. We conducted this study to compare the incidence of postoperative anastomotic stricture formation and dysphagia over three years after an esophagectomy with modified Collard anastomosis (MC) or end-to-side (ETS) hand-sewn anastomosis. Meanwhile, the early postoperative anastomotic leakage and other complications, hospital stay and 30- and 90-day mortality were also evaluated. METHODS: The clinical data of 905 patients undergoing McKeown esophagectomy were retrospectively reviewed. The rate of postoperative stricture formation after three years was demonstrated by stricture-free survival which is the primary end-point of this study. The incidence of dysphagia, first time of onset of stricture and number of dilatations were also recorded during follow-up. RESULTS: The incidence of anastomotic leak tended to be higher in the MC group compared with that in the ETS group (13.0% vs. 8.7%, P = 0.064). The rates of anastomotic stricture in the MC group were significantly less than in the ETS group (P = 0.004). The number of dilatations in the MC group were significantly greater than those in the ETS group (2.34 vs. 2.46, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: A modified Collard cervical esophagogastric anastomosis was associated with lower rates of anastomotic stricture and dysphagia, compared with ETS hand-sewn anastomosis. However, the modified Collard anastomosis is accompanied by an increased anastomotic leakage rate.

C-reactive protein to albumin ratio is a key indicator in a predictive model for anastomosis leakage after esophagectomy: Application of classification and regression tree analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage (AL), a serious complication after esophagectomy, might impair patient quality of life, prolong hospital stay, and even lead to surgery-related death. The aim of this study was to show a novel decision model based on classification and regression tree (CART) analysis for the prediction of postoperative AL among patients who have undergone esophagectomy. METHODS: A total of 450 patients (training set: 356; test set: 94) with perioperative information were included. A decision tree model was established to identify the predictors of AL in the training set, which was validated in the test set. A receiver operating characteristic curve was also created to illustrate the diagnostic ability of the decision model. RESULTS: A total of 12.2% (55/450) of the 450 patients suffered AL, which was diagnosed at median postoperative day 7 (range: 6-16). The decision tree model, containing surgical duration, postoperative lymphocyte count, and postoperative C-reactive protein to albumin ratio, was established by CART analysis. Among the three variables, the postoperative C-reactive protein to albumin ratio was identified as the most important indicator in the CART model with normalized importance of 100%. According to the results validated in the test set, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of the prediction model were 80%, 98.8%, 88.9%, 97.6%, and 96.8%, respectively. Moreover, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.95. CONCLUSION: The decision model based on CART analysis presented good performance for predicting AL, and might allow the early identification of patients at high risk.

Effect of different therapeutic strategies on the clinical outcome of asymptomatic intralobar pulmonary sequestration.

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital pulmonary malformation. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of different therapeutic strategies on the clinical outcome of asymptomatic intralobar pulmonary sequestration. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 37 patients diagnosed with intralobar sequestration. All the patients were asymptomatic. Seventeen patients underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) once diagnosed and 20 patients chose to undergo observation. Of these 20 patients, 16 patients developed symptoms during the observation period and also underwent VATS; 4 patients never showed symptoms and did not have surgery. The 33 patients who had VATS were divided into 2 groups: group 1, patients who underwent VATS once diagnosed; group 2, patients who underwent VATS once symptoms appeared. Postoperative data and respiratory function data were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Twenty of the patients were men and 17 were women (mean age 37.05 ± 7.89 years). Results of a comparative analysis of the 2 groups indicated that patients in group 1 had better values for median estimated blood loss, median duration of chest tube insertion, postoperative hospital stay and postoperative hospital stay than those in group 2. Postoperative complications were reported in 1 patient in group 1 and in 3 patients in group 2. Meanwhile, the loss of lung function between group 1 and group 2 was statistically significant, which also suggested that patients benefited from surgery once diagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: For asymptomatic intralobar sequestration, VATS could be effective and safe. The surgical intervention should be performed once the condition is diagnosed to avoid manifestations occurring and to preserve patients' quality of life.