endovascular treatment shows promise as a treatment modality for thoracic outlet arterial injuries. Long-term follow-up is required for comparison to the results of standard surgical repair.

Endovascular therapy is a promising alternative to surgery for selected patients with cervicothoracic arteriovenous fistula.

No abstract

On behalf of my co-authors I thank you for the opportunity to respond to the letter from Forshaw et al. Their results between 2000 and 2003 of 168 oesophageal resections associated with an in-hospital mortality of 1.3% are indeed impressive and one can understand their reluctance to The Royal College of Surgeons of England Letters and comments Contributors to this section are asked to make their comments brief and to the point. Letters should comply with the instructions to authors at http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/publications/ annals/authorinstructions.html. Tables and figures should only be included if absolutely essential and no more than five references should be given. The editor reserves the right to shorten letters and subedit contributions to ensure clarity.