Management of esophageal anastomotic leaks is associated with high morbidity and mortality and remains an interdisciplinary challenge. We describe the first two cases of endoscopic closure of postoperative leaks following gastrectomy and primary repair after spontaneous acute esophageal perforation, using the over-the-scope clip (OTSC) system (Ovesco Endoscopy GmbH, Tübingen, Germany). Both leaks were successfully sealed with one clip. While one patient recovered without reintervention, in the other patient the postoperative leak reappeared following clip displacement 13 days later.

While small solitary oesophageal papillomas are uncommon findings that are occasionally identified on routine upper endoscopies, extensive oesophageal papillomatosis is an extremely rare condition with only 9 cases reported in the English literature. We report the case of a 72-year-old woman who was referred for progressive dysphagia for solid food and clinical signs for a reflux disease. Upper endoscopy demonstrated bizarre villous alterations of the mucosa covering the oesophagus subtotally and a suspicious area within these alterations. Histological work-up of the biopsy samples revealed marked papillary hypertrophy and a squamous epithelial carcinoma in situ corresponding to the suspicious lesion. The patient underwent oesophagectomy with cervical gastroesophageal anastomosis and proximal remnants of papillomatous mucosa above the anastomosis were destroyed with endoscopic argon plasma coagulation. In the 2-year follow-up the patient showed limited recurrence of the papillomatosis in the remaining proximal oesophagus containing a circumscript carcinoma that was successfully treated by local endoscopic mucosectomy. Our case strongly underscores the risk of malignant transformation in large areas of papillomatous mucosa and shows that systematic surveillance is essential.

Placement of self-expanding metal stents (SEMSs) is a well-established treatment for esophageal stenosis and postoperative anastomotic leaks. Conventional endoscopic procedures for SEMS placement require fluoroscopic guidance, but transnasal endoscopy (TNE) with ultraslim endoscopes may allow precise stent release under direct visual control without the need for fluoroscopy. This prospectively collected data investigated the feasibility and safety of TNE-guided SEMS placement without fluoroscopy. Between March 2009 and February 2011, 20 consecutive patients underwent TNE-guided SEMS placement without fluoroscopy. The technical success rate was 100 % and no fluoroscopy was required during the procedures. Five patients underwent SEMS placement as a bedside procedure in the intensive care unit. The mean intervention time was 13.4 minutes (range 6 - 26) and there were no early complications. In summary, TNE-guided SEMS placement allows precise stent placement without fluoroscopic control and can therefore be performed as a simple bedside procedure.

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