Minimally Invasive Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy
Christopher Morse, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Esophageal cancer is a growing problem in the United States. Surgical resection, often in combination with chemoradiotherapy, provides the only approach to offer a cure for these patients. Traditional open approaches are burdened by high levels of morbidity and mortality. Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) has been proposed as an alternative approach. Although MIE is complex and perhaps more time-consuming, perioperative results are encouraging and generally trend toward fewer pulmonary complications, lower blood loss, shorter ICU stays, and shorter overall hospitalization durations.