Shigeru Lee, Yushi Fujiwara, Ken Gyobu, Tatsuro Tamura, Takahiro Toyokawa, Yuichiro Miki, Mami Yoshii, Hiroaki Kasashiima, Tatsunari Fukuoka, Masatsune Shibutani, Harushi Osugi, Kiyoshi Maeda
BACKGROUND/AIM: Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (RLNP) induces aspiration pneumonia and reduces the patient's quality of life. To decrease the incidence of RLNP, we performed intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) during thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal cancer and evaluated its usefulness. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 737 consecutive patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal cancer were enrolled in this study. Between May 1995 and March 2016, thoracoscopic esophagectomies were performed using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with a small incision, whereas from April to June 2023, we used positive pressure pneumothorax with port placement only [minimum invasive esophagectomy (MIE)]...
January 2024: Anticancer Research