Minimally Invasive Esophageal Procedures

In most instances, laparoscopy has replaced open procedures as the standard of care. Nevertheless, equipoise remains in the literature regarding the benefits of surgery compared with alternative treatment strategies such as medications in the case of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or endoscopic procedures in the case of achalasia. According to Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) guidelines published in 2010, indications for surgery include (1) failure of medical management, (2) patient preference, (3) complications of GERD (Barrett esophagus, peptic stricture), and (4) extraesophageal manifestations (asthma, hoarseness, cough, chest pain, aspiration). This chapter is organized by surgical procedure, all of which are derivatives of the laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. In this chapter, the authors focus on minimally invasive surgical approaches to the treatment of the following benign esophageal disorders: GERD, achalasia, and paraesophageal hernias. New in this chapter is the in-depth coverage of laparoscopic paraesophageal hernia repair. The majority of patients with paraesophageal hernias are asymptomatic, and their hernias are found incidentally with a retrocardiac gastric bubble on an upright chest x-ray or herniated gastroesophageal junction seen on a chest or abdominal computed tomographic scan. For patients who are symptomatic, surgical repair is indicated as there is no medical treatment for this mechanical problem. For asymptomatic patients, clinical judgment needs to be used. All surgical procedures are covered by preoperative evaluation, operative planning, and operative technique, with a troubleshooting note for every step. Procedure complications, postoperative care, and outcome evaluation follow each procedure, listing the most current reports and data. This review contains 10 figures, 9 tables and 49 references Keywords: Minimally invasive surgery, esophagectomy, myotomy, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett esophagus, Nissen fundoplication, fundoplication, paraesophageal hernia