A Study of the Complications and Quality of Life after Cervical Esophageal Reconstruction with a Free Jejunal Autograft

Koichiro Kobayashi, Kenji Omura, Hiroshi Urayama, Takashi Iwa

Department of Surgery (I), Kanazawa University School of Medicine

We have studied 18 patients who had reconstruction with a free jejunal autograft for cancer of the pharynx (7 cases), cancer of the cervical esophagus (7), double cancer of the larynx and the cervical esophagus (1), recurrent cancer of the larynx (1), esophageal stricture after surgery (1) and recurrent cancer of the thyroid (1). We reviewed the complications and quality of life after surgery in these 18 patients from 1983 to 1989. There were no complications after surgery except for wound infection. We interviewed 8 living patients for their quality of life. There were 20 questions about (1) physical well-being, (2)mental well-being, (3) social well-being and (4) mental and social activities. We used a categorical scale and gave points from 1 to 5 in each category. Their means were (1) 4.2, (2) 4.3, (3) 3.8 and (4) 3.0. We found that reconstruction with a free jejunal autograft is a safe and useful procedure. In addition, the living patients were found to have a satisfactory quality of life.

Key words
quality of life after surgery, reconstruction with free jejunal autograft, complications after surgery, pharyngeal carcinoma, cervical esophageal carcinoma

Reprint requests
Koichi Kobayashi The First Department of Surgery, Kanazawa University School of Medicine
13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, 920 JAPAN

Accepted
November 19, 1990

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