[Choice of surgical procedure in esophageal cancer].

In a retrospective study results of surgical treatment of esophageal cancer by transthoracic and abdominal transhiatal approach are compared with each other. 70% of the patients (n = 21) had tumor stage III. The overall 30-day-lethality is 9.5%, being identical for the transthoracic (n = 10) and the transhiatal (n = 11) group with 10% and 9%, respectively. The frequency of postoperative, mainly pulmonary complications is equally distributed. The cumulative 3-years-survival-rate is 19%. However, a considerable difference among both approaches is obvious being 30% for group I and only 9% for group II.