Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy in the Prone Position Versus in the Lateral Position for Patients With Esophageal Cancer

Abstract

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy (TE) in the prone position for patients with esophageal cancer has received a great deal of attention. We retrospectively compared clinical outcomes and surgical stress of TE in the prone position (TE-P) and in the lateral position (TE-L) at our institution. A total of 58 consecutive patients (28 in the TE-L group and 30 in the TE-P group) were studied. Between the 2 groups, clinical outcomes and various parameters were compared. There were no hospital deaths in both TEL and TEP groups. Blood loss during the thoracoscopic part of the surgery were significantly (P<0.01) lower in the TE-P group (118±72 mL) compared with the TE-L (245±203 mL) group. The incidence of respiratory complications tended to be lower (P=0.07) in the TE-P group (3.3%) than in the TE-L (17.8%) group. The duration of systemic inflammatory response syndrome condition was significantly (P=0.02) shorter in the TE-P group (1.5±2.5 d) than in TE-L (3.6±3.5 d) group. The levels of serum C-reactive protein on postoperative days 1 and 2 were significantly (P<0.01) lower in the TE-P group than in the TE-L group. TE-P for patients with esophageal cancer was safe and feasible. TE-P might be a potentially less invasive procedure than TE-L.