Isolated cervical esophageal reconstruction for rare esophageal tumors

✍ Scribed by Vincent P. Marin; Peirong Yu; Randal S. Weber

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 309 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1043-3074
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.20442

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Background.

Isolated defects in the cervical esophagus in patients who have not undergone total laryngectomy are uncommon. We report 2 cases of rare esophageal tumors requiring reconstruction of the cervical esophagus after tumor resection.

Methods and Results.

The patients were a 51‐year‐old woman with an esophageal granular cell tumor and a 54‐year‐old woman with an esophageal schwannoma. Both defects were reconstructed with a radial forearm flap. A small subclinical leak developed in 1 patient and healed spontaneously within 2 weeks. At 1 year and 2 years of follow‐up, both patients were consuming a normal diet and had normal voices.

Conclusions.

A thin and well‐vascularized flap such as the radial forearm flap is essential for reconstructing an isolated cervical esophageal defect so as to maximize functional outcome. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2006