A retrospective study of left para-laryngeal recurrent nerve lymphadenectomy by esophageal suspension in minimally invasive esophagectomy

Objective: To analyze the difference in left para-laryngeal recurrent nerve lymph node dissectioin, operation duration, and perioperative morbidity with or without esophageal suspension in minimally invasive esophagectomy.Methods: From January to December 2015, 145 patients with esophageal cancer received minimally invasive esophagectomy in Shanghai Zhongshan hospital. In left para-laryngeal recurrent nerve lymphadenectomy, 71 from 145 patients received esophageal suspension, while 74 from 145 patients did not.Results: Compared with normal group, esopphageal suspension group has a larger number of dissected lymph nodes(2.55±0.20 vs. 1.46±0.22, P<0.05). Howeveer, the duration of surgery and lymphadenectomy are not increased in esophageal suspension group, as well as the perioperative morbidity including laryngeal recurrent nerve injury and thoracic duct injury. Conclusion: Esophageal suspension in minimally invasive esophagectomy helps improve the quality of left para-laryngeal recurrent nerve lymphadenectomy, without increasing operation duration and perioperative morbidity.