Abstract
A 68-year-old woman visited us complaining of foreign body feeling in the pharynx and hoarseness. She received treatment with improvement and she was placed under our observation. Dyspnea developed and palpable mass was noted in the lef t anterior cervical area, f or which the initial operation (tracheotomy, left sided thyroidectomy and partial esophagectomy) was performed under suspicion of thyroidal carcinoma. At the time of operation infiltration had reached the esophagus, which obliged us to perform partial esophagectomy. However, the larynx was preserved because of a request to do so from the patient herself and her family. Her esophagus was successfully reconstructed by two stage method utilizing a Bakamjian DP flap. However, postoperatively stenosis became apt to occur, possibly due to preservation of the lrynx. Plastic operations such as skin graf ting for the stenosis caused cicatrization.
About 4 years and 6 months later local recurrence occurred and the tumor was resected. However, another recurrence, a fist-size mass, developed in the left supraclavicular fossa at 4 years and 6 months later. At that time the tumorous mass was again resected. Since then she became cachectic and expired at 9 years and 10 months after the initial operation.
This case appeared to us interesting in that laryngeal function of phonation and esophageal function of oral ingestion of food, were maintained up to the terminal stage despite that a total of 12 operations were performed during about 10 years period from the initial operation to death.
