Video-thoracoscopic approach, without suture, of late thoracic esophageal perforations

ABSTRACT Objectives: to evaluate the use of video-thoracoscopy, in the treatment of late perforations of the thoracic esophagus, without suture or organ resection. Methods: retrospective analysis of patients with late diagnosis (> 12 hours) of thoracic esophageal perforation treated by video-thoracoscopy, without suture or organ resection, over a 15-year period. Results: sixteen patients were operated on, ten men and six women, aged between 48 and 66 years, with time between the diagnosis of the perforation and the surgery ranging from 16 to 26 hours. All patients underwent video-thoracoscopy, with pulmonary decortication, pleural loculations approach, opening of the mediastinal pleura near the perforation site and debridement of the devitalized tissues, followed by double drainage of the pleural cavity. No esophageal suture or resection was performed, and the patients evolved with complete closure of the lesions, without deaths. Conclusion: the video-thoracoscopic surgical approach was able to control pleural infection, pulmonary expansion and enable complete regeneration of the esophagus with late-diagnosed perforation.