End-to-side and end-to-end anastomoses give similar results in cervical oesophagogastrostomy.

Objective: To find out if there were any differences in healing between end-to-end and end-to-side anastomoses for oesophagogastrostomy.

Design: Open study with historical controls.

Setting: University hospital, The Netherlands.

Psychosocial adaptation to stoma surgery: a review.

During the last decade strong improvements have been made in the medical care of patients with a digestive tract stoma, particularly with regard to nursing skills and to the quality of collecting material for faecal products. Scientific investigation into the psychosocial adjustment of patients after stoma surgery has intensified as well, giving us indications for quality of life. These developments induced a review of the actual state of affairs in psychological issues.

Impaired healing of cervical oesophagogastrostomies can be predicted by estimation of gastric serosal blood perfusion by laser Doppler flowmetry.

Objective: To assess the value of relative blood perfusion of the gastric tube in prediction of impaired healing of cervical oesophagogastrostomies.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: University hospital, The Netherlands.

Incidence and management of benign anastomotic stricture after cervical oesophagogastrostomy.

Benign anastomotic stricture after transhiatal oesophagectomy and gastric tube reconstruction constitutes a major problem. From August 1988 to April 1991, 81 patients were followed after cervical oesophagogastrostomy. Twenty-four patients (30 per cent) developed a benign anastomotic stricture 3-23 (median 8) weeks after operation.