Using gastric tube to replace the esophagus has been widely used in esophagectomy. This surgical method is gradually replacing the traditional stomach reconstruction. Its advantages in the incidence of postoperative complication, the quality of life and the long-time survival in clinic have proved to be true. Although using tubular stomach in esophagectomy has become the consensus of experts, some details still need some further discussing and this technique should be gradually improved in future. In this review, the superiority and the technical progress of gastric tube are introduced, and we predict the future of tubular stomach and discuss the existed problems.
ObjectiveTo explore the superiority of pleural tenting in Ivor-Lewis esophagogastrectomy. MethodsWe prospectively included 200 esophagus cancer patients with Ivor-Lewis esophagogastrectomy in our hospital between 2013 and 2015 year. The patients were allocated into two groups including a trial group and a control group with 100 patients in each group. There were 72 males and 28 females at an average age of 54.76±6.62 years in the trial group and 66 males and 34 females at an average age of 55.72±6.38 years in the control group. In the trial group pleural tenting was used to cover the anastomotic stoma and gastric tube, while in the control group pleural tenting was not used. Postoperative complications after one year, pressure on the level of the anastomotic stoma, and the grade of quality of life were compared between the two groups. ResultNo statistically significant differences were found in preoperative epidemiological and postoperative pathological characteristics, as well as the postoperative complications and the one-year survival rate (P > 0.05). Quality of life was better in the trial group than that of the control group. ConclusionPleural tenting is a simple, safe, and effective technique for improving quality of life of the patients.