EFFICACY OF ENDOSCOPIC FILLING WITH POLYGLYCOLIC ACID SHEETS AND FIBRIN GLUE FOR ANASTOMOTIC LEAK AFTER ESOPHAGEAL SURGERY

Abstract

Postoperative anastomotic leakage is a major complication of esophageal cancer surgery. To resolve the leakage, conservative management is initially attempted. This entails the administration of antibiotics and wound site drainage. However, closure of the fistula is often difficult to achieve, necessitating further treatment. Endoscopic fistula occlusion using polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets and fibrin glue has yielded us favorable outcomes in the management of postoperative anastomotic leakage. A crucial aspect of the technique involves pre-soaking the PGA sheets in fibrinogen solution before using them to fill the fistula, subsequently thrombin solution is applied, resulting in a high fistula closure rate.