Clinical efficacy of the stapled anastomosis in esophageal reconstruction.

We have clinically evaluated Russian and American stapling devices used for esophageal reconstruction and compared the results following stapled anastomosis with those following hand-sutured procedures, both performed by the same surgeon. With the Russian stapler, anastomoses performed in 17 patients with carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus resulted in only one (5.9%) anastomotic leak; in 12 hand-sutured anastomoses and in 11 anastomoses done with an American stapler, no anastomotic complication occurred. Thus, a long gastric tube with good blood supply is of paramount importance, and if the technical details of surgical stapling can be overcome, a stapled anastomosis appears to be as safe as a manual suturing for patients undergoing esophageal reconstruction.