1. The mechanisms underlying gastrectomy osteopenia are not yet clear. The gastrectomy-associated cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency may favour osteopenia and skeletal fractures. Also, the exclusion of the duodenum from the food passage may contribute to gastrectomy osteopenia. To investigate this, rats were gastrectomized and the passage of nutrients restored either with the duodenum excluded (Roux Y) or included (Longmire). Sham-operated rats served as controls. In half of the rats in each gastrectomy group the serum B12 levels were normalized by parenteral administration of B12.2. Four months post operation, both gastrectomy groups showed a similar degree of osteopenia. There was normal bone mineralization; serum levels of parathyroid hormone were normal, but decreased for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and elevated for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D; in urine there was decreased pH and excessive hyperphosphaturia.3.B12 therapy had no influence on any of the essential bone and mineral metabolic parameters.4. We conclude that osteopenia in the gastrectomized rat (i) is not due to B12 or folic acid deficiency, calcium deficiency or secondary hyperparathyroidism; (ii) is independent of the type of anatomic reconstruction of the digestive tract; (iii) appears to be related to disturbed vitamin D, phosphorus and acid-base metabolism.

Impaired intestinal passage considerably reduces quality of life irrespective of the underlying condition. Limited life expectancy and increased operative risk of advanced malignant disease add particular weight to this issue. The indication for operative therapy results from carefully weighing individual incapacity and potential gain vs operative risk and life expectancy. Exactly because life expectancy is quite limited, selection of an effective, low-risk procedure is of utmost importance to benefit the patient.

Gastrectomy (GX) was carried out in the male rat according to the Longmire and the Roux-en-Y procedure. The focus of the postoperative investigations was to evaluate the influence of post-GX morphological changes occurring at the site of two types of end-to-end esophagojejunal anastomosis (with and without invagination), in particular food intake, body weight gain, food efficiency, hematocrit and bone density. GX failed to alter food intake, fasting blood glucose, α-amino nitrogen, or free fatty acids, but led to uniformly decreased body weight, food efficiency and serum gastrin, and increased serum osteocalcin, indicating high turnover osteopenia. However, irrespective of the type of (digestive tract) reconstruction (Longmire or Roux-en-Y), the invagination anastomosis was associated with lower mortality, fewer complications, less early postoperative weight loss, less intensive tissue changes at the anastomotic site, and improvement of bone density and hematocrit. Bivariate and multivariate regression analysis revealed that bone density was negatively influenced by epithelial hyperplasia of the anastomotic tissue, while hematocrit was positively influenced by bone density. In contrast, food intake appeared to have no influence. It was concluded that (1) the histological status of the esophagointestinal anastomosis varies depending on the surgical technique applied and (2) the type of anatomical reconstruction of the digestive tract (Longmire vs. Roux-en-Y) and food intake may be of minor importance for the bone and hematological status of GX rats. Future investigations are justified to clarify whether esophagojejunal proinflammatory tissue factors may contribute to the GX-mediated damage of bone mineral and bone marrow, thereby leading to low body weight.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical safety and usefulness of esophageal dissection under laparoscopic monitoring during transhiatal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Patients and Methods: The study group of 115 patients included 102 men and 13 women. The mean age was 57 (range 32-79) years. Tumor histology showed a squamous cell carcinoma in 75% and an adenocarcinoma in 25% of cases. According to the American Joint Committee on Cancer classification, 3 patients were classified as stage I, 19 as stage IIA, 24 as stage IIB, 64 as stage III, and 5 as stage IVA. Mean operating time was 4.5 ± 1 h. Results: Ten significant intraoperative complications were observed (9 hemorrhages, 1 death). The mean blood loss was 900 (range 300-2,100) ml. Postoperative complications occurred in 61% of the patients; the most frequent were pulmonary complications (27%), recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (17.4%), anastomotic stricture (14%), and anastomotic leak (10.4%). Early re-laparotomy was performed in 6% of the patients. Hospital mortality rate was 9%. Mean hospital stay was 34 (range 5-64) days. Conclusion: Video-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy is a useful method, but does not allow a vision-guided removal of the upper esophagus. The method does not prevent or diminish the number of intra- and postoperative complications of esophageal resection.