Abstract
Background. Isolated defects in the cervical esophagus in patients who have not undergone total laryngectomy are uncommon. We report 2 cases of rare esophageal tumors requiring reconstruction of the cervical esophagus after tumor resection. Methods and Results. The patients were a 51-year-old woman with an esophageal granular cell tumor and a 54-year-old woman with an esophageal schwannoma. Both defects were reconstructed with a radial forearm flap. A small subclinical leak developed in 1 patient and healed spontaneously within 2 weeks. At 1 year and 2 years of follow-up, both patients were consuming a normal diet and had normal voices. Conclusions. A thin and well-vascularized flap such as the radial forearm flap is essential for reconstructing an isolated cervical esophageal defect so as to maximize functional outcome.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 856-860 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Head and Neck |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2006 |
Keywords
- Cervical esophagus
- Esophageal reconstruction
- Granular cell tumor of the esophagus
- Radial forearm flap
- Schwannoma of the esophagus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Otorhinolaryngology