Video-assisted mediastinoscopy is safe in patients taking antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy.

Background: The aim of this study was to report our experience with video-assisted mediastinoscopy (VAM) in patients taking antiplatelet (AP) or anticoagulant therapies focusing on perioperative complications (especially haemorrhagic).

Patients And Methods: We have done a retrospective study from a prospectively maintained database with diagnostic VAM (01/2008-06/2012). We included 54 patients with AP (41 patients - Group A) and anticoagulant (13 patients - Group B) therapies.

Impact of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on postoperative outcomes after esophageal cancer resection: results of a European multicenter study.

Objectives: To assess the impact of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) on anastomotic leakage (AL) and other postoperative outcomes after esophageal cancer (EC) resection.

Background: Conflicting data have emerged from randomized studies regarding the impact of NCRT on AL.

Methods: Among 2944 consecutive patients operated on for EC between 2000 and 2010 in 30 European centers, patients treated by NCRT after surgery (n=593) were compared with those treated by primary surgery (n=1487).

Lesson to be learned: beware of lusoria artery during transhiatal esophagectomy.

The presence of an aberrant right subclavian artery represents a potentially risky situation when high mediastinal surgery is planned. We report a case of a patient needing transhiatal esophagectomy for cancer; the presence of the abnormal anatomic arterial situation complicated the postoperative course, when a vascular- digestive fistula appears. We discuss the direct causes and consequences of a rare situation.