Objective To determine if laparoscopic assisted Ivor-Lewis cervical stapled esophagogastrostomy via a minor subaxillary incising enables better perioperative and medium-term outcome than Ivor-Lewis cervical stapled esophagogastrostomy via thorax for middle esophageal carcinoma without intumescent lymphnode of neck. Methods The perioperative and medium-term outcome of a series of 55 patients underwent Ivor-Lewis cervical stapled esophagogas-trostomy via thorax between April 2010 and December 2012 were as a historic cohort (group A, 36 males, 19 females at age of 65±8 years). And 46 patients underwent laparoscopic assisted Ivor-Lewis cervical stapled esophagogastrostomy via a minor subaxillary incising between January 2013 and March 2015 were as a prospective cohort (group B, 31males, 15 females at age of 66±7 years). Perioperative indexes, lymphadenectomy, and result at end of one year following up were compared. Results Compared with group A, there was shorter thoracic operation time (t=5.94, P < 0.05), shorter time of restored anus exhaust (t=2.08, P < 0.05), less pulmonary complication (χ2=3.08, P < 0.05) and less total perioperative complications (χ2=4.30, P < 0.05), shorter postoperative hospital stay (t=3.20, P < 0.05) in the group B. While no statistically significant difference was found between the two group in postoperative morbidity of circulation or digestive and associated with surgical techniques (all P>0.05), lymph node metastasis rate of cervico-thoracic (include cervical paraesophageal) or mediastinum or abdominal cavity (χ2=0.03, 0.15, 0.08, all P>0.05), lymph node ratio (LNR) of cervical thoracic (include cervical paraesophageal) or mediastinum or abdominal cavity (χ2=0.01,0.71, 0.01, all P>0.05), recurrence rate of tumour (χ2=0.04, P>0.05), or survival rate (χ2=0.13, P>0.05) one year after the surgery. Conclusion Laparoscopic assisted Ivor-Lewis cervical stapled esophagogastrostomy via a minor subaxillary incising is a more rational surgery of cervicothoracic and cervical paraesophageal lymph nodes dissection via intrathoracic instead of cervical approach for middle esophageal carcinoma.