Oesophageal reconstruction using the stomach.

Between January 1975 and December 1989, the Cardiothoracic Unit of the University College Hospital, Ibadan (U.C.H.) carried out 47 oesophageal replacement procedures using the stomach. The ages of the patients ranged from 3 to 75 years (mean = 53.2 +/- 19.3 years). There were 24 males and 23 females. The indications for oesophageal replacement were as follows: Carcinoma of the oesophagus--34 patients (73.9%), Corrosive stricture--9 patients (17.4%), peptic stricture--1 patient (2.2%), granulomatous oesophageal lesion--1 patient (2.2%), submucous cysts--1 patient (2.2%), oesophageal perforation--1 (2.2%). Twenty patients (58.8%) with oesophageal carcinoma died between 9 and 33 days after operation. The patients with oesophageal perforation, granulomatous lesion and submucous cysts died from sepsis 8, 13 and 6 days respectively after operation due to anastomotic leak. Three patients with corrosive stricture (24%) died 10, 13 and 15 days respectively after operation. All the other 21 (54.7%) patients survived with good results as judged by the absence of dysphagia. Eight of the fourteen surviving patients with carcinoma are lost to follow-up and are presumed dead. There were two intra-operative deaths (4.3%). The operative approaches used were: Transthoracic (21 patients; 9 deaths), Transhiatal oesophagectomy (14 patients; 9 deaths) and retrosternal route (12 patients; 8 deaths). In terms of morbidity, more complications were observed with the transhiatal oesophagectomy (Orringer's technique). It is concluded that whereas oesophagoplasty with the stomach offers good results in patients with benign strictures, the results with carcinoma of the oesophagus in our environment is poor.