Comparison of Outcomes following Transhiatal or Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy for Esophageal Carcinoma

p

= 0.05); if two surgeons operated concurrently, THO could be performed 40 minutes quicker than THO or ILO performed by a single surgeon (p= 0.018). The mean initial intensive care unit stay was 2.9 days for ILO versus 1.7 days for THO (p= 0.014). The 30-day mortality was 5.1%; total in-hospital mortality was 7.1% with no difference for operation type. There were similar morbidity rates for the procedures. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated no significant effect of surgical technique; there were no apparent advantages for either operation when patients were compared by tumor type or matched for stage. Hence THO is a valid alternative to ILO, particularly for stage II and III cancer.