Free jejunal autograft combined with extensive esophagogastrectomy for unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension.

This is the first report of the use of a free jejunal autograft vascularized by the internal thoracic (internal mammary) artery and vein to restore continuity of the digestive tract after total gastrectomy and distal 65% esophagectomy for recurrent bleeding esophagogastric varices caused by unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension. The procedure was used in two young adults who, because of numerous previous abdominal operations, had a severely scarred and contracted intestinal mesentery that precluded conventional use of the small or large intestine with an intact blood supply to bridge the gap between the upper thoracic esophagus and the abdominal jejunum. Before referral, the two patients had 21 and eight bouts of variceal hemorrhage, respectively, that necessitated a cumulative total of 108 and 74 units of blood transfusion, necessitated 17 and 12 admissions to the hospital, and failed to respond to four and five operations and 14 and 18 sessions of endoscopic sclerotherapy. After extensive esophagogastrectomy combined with a free jejunal autograft, both patients have done well during follow-up of 9 and 3 years, respectively. Both have been in good to excellent health with stable weight, freedom from digestive tract bleeding, normal liver function, and no encephalopathy. These results confirm our recently reported conclusions regarding the uniform long-term effectiveness of extensive esophagogastrectomy in the treatment of unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension and suggest that thoracic and general surgeons familiar with microvascular techniques may find the free jejunal autograft to be useful in various circumstances in which it is necessary to replace all or a substantial part of the thoracic esophagus.