The oesophagus is a difficult challenge for the surgeon because of its lack of serosal covering, the tenuous, segmental blood supply and the common delay in the diagnosis of injury. Early diagnosis is the key to successful management. Recent introduction of newer, minimally invasive techniques have provided management alternatives for both the normal and the diseased organ that is injured with both early and delayed diagnosis.
Surgical anatomyThe oesophagus is a long, muscular organ that begins at the pharyngooesophageal junction at the level of the sixth cervical vertebra. It ends at the gastrooesophageal junction. The area of its origin at the cricopharyngeus muscle is an area of potential injury by the endoscopist or the neophyte anesthesiologist. Passing into the thorax, the oesophagus and the trachea traverse the superior mediastinum behind the great vessels and with a slight curve passes behind the left mainstem bronchus. From this point, the oesophagus curves to the right in the posterior mediastinum, curves back to the left behind the pericardium and crosses the thoracic aorta. Lying anterior to the thoracic aorta, it reaches the abdomen through the oesophageal hiatus of the diaphragm. There is no serosal covering for the structure. The outer layers are composed entirely of longitudinal and circular muscle fibers with squamous epithelium as the mucosal lining. The blood supply is segmental and is derived from branches of the inferior thyroid, bronchial, intercostal arteries and the aorta. Venous drainage is through submucosal channels into a perioesophageal plexus which eventually enters into the inferior thyroid and vertebral veins in the neck, the azygos and hemiazygos veins in the thorax and the left gastric vein in the abdomen.