Resection of cancer of the thoracic esophagus without thoracotomy.

We developed a new surgical technique to manually resect the thoracic esophagus without thoracotomy and employed it in 31 patients with cancer of the esophagus who were considered poor risks for resection by traditional thoracotomy. Postoperative complications consisted of left hemothorax in seven patients, hoarseness in five, sternal osteomyelitis in three, a perforated trachea in one, and cardiorenal failure in three patients. No severe pulmonary complications occurred, and there were no hospital deaths. The long-term results of this surgical treatment have not been assessed.