Esophagectomy or Oesophagectomy (regional variation in spelling) is the surgical removal of all or part of the esophagus (also spelled 'oesophagus').
The principal objective is to remove the esophagus, a part of the gastrointestinal tract ("food pipe"). It is normally done to remove cancerous tumors from the body. It is best done when an esophageal cancer is detected early, before it has spread. If taken up early enough, an esophagectomy might pr...
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Esophagectomy or Oesophagectomy (regional variation in spelling) is the surgical removal of all or part of the esophagus (also spelled 'oesophagus').
The principal objective is to remove the esophagus, a part of the gastrointestinal tract ("food pipe"). It is normally done to remove cancerous tumors from the body. It is best done when an esophageal cancer is detected early, before it has spread. If taken up early enough, an esophagectomy might prove to be life saving. Despite significant improvements in technique and postoperative care, the long term survival for esophageal cancer is still poor. Currently multimodality treatment is needed (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) for advanced tumors. Esophagectomy is also occasionally performed for benign disease such as esophageal atresia in children, achalasia, or caustic injury.
There are two main types of esophagectomy.
In most cases, the stomach is transplanted into the neck and the stomach takes the place originally occupied by the...
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