Intrathoracic hernia of a retrosternal colonic graft after esophagectomy: report of a case.

We report a case of intrathoracic herniation of the colonic interposition pulled up through the retrosternal space after subtotal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. The patient, a 68-year-old man, presented with progressive dysphagia about 1 year after this operation. We performed left thoracotomy and laparotomy, which revealed the reconstructed colon herniating into the left thoracic cavity through a large defect in the left mediastinal pleura. The redundant colon was resected, and the colonic graft was shortened and straightened. We concluded that the defect in the mediastinal pleura and colonic redundancy had permitted the colonic graft to herniate into the left thoracic cavity.