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Half of Anastomotic Leaks After Esophagectomy Are Undetected on Initial Postoperative Esophagram

Friday, March 31, 2023

Submitted by

Cameron Lind

Source

Source Name: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery

Source URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003497522007184

Author(s)

Irmina A. Elliott MD, Mark F. Berry MD, Winston Trope BE, Natalie S. Lui MD, Brandon A. Guenthart MD, Douglas Z. Liou MD, Richard I. Whyte MD, MBA, Leah M. Backhus MD, MPH, Joseph B. Shrager MD

This retrospective cohort study aimed to document the detection of anastomotic leak after esophagectomy. It was concluded that early postoperative esophagrams often miss leaks, leading to greater clinical consequences than leaks that are detected upon the first esophagram. These findings suggest that the team must be aware of potential leaks even after a normal esophagram result and be wary of advancing postoperative steps before a leak is completely ruled out.