Colon interposition after esophagectomy: a 15-year single-center experience.

Cohort studyLangenbeck's archives of surgery· Jul 2026

Colon interposition after esophagectomy: a 15-year single-center experience.

Melissa Kemeter, Lucas Thumfart, Patrick Heger … Attila Dubecz

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Esophageal SurgeryCohort studyClinical practiceQ1IF 2.2

Colon interposition after esophagectomy carries high in-hospital mortality.

Colon interposition after esophagectomy: a 15-year single-center experience.

Melissa Kemeter … Attila Dubecz

Langenbeck's archives of surgery · Jul 2026 · Q1 in Surgery

Background

Colonic interposition is the preferred option for alimentary tract reconstruction when a gastric conduit pull-up is not feasible.

Purpose

Of this study was to evaluate perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing colonic interposition for various indications in our tertiary-care center over a 15-year period.

Methods

Following institutional board approval, all consecutive patients who underwent colonic interposition for esophageal replacement were identified from a prospectively maintained database.

n = 62 men

Results

nearly 1 in 5 patients died in hospital after this procedure

28%

Anastomotic leakage

30.1%

Anastomotic stenosis

11.8%

Pleural empyema

10.8%

Postoperative bleeding

More results

Ninety-three patients (62 men, 31 women, median age 65 years, IQR 55.5-72) underwent colonic interposition between January 2009 and December 2023.

Benign disease was present in 17.2%, whereas malignancy accounted for 82.8%.

Median operative time was 303 min (IQR 247.5-364).

More results

The reoperation rate was 38.7%, with a median hospital stay of 29 days (IQR 20-63).

“

Conclusion

Colonic interposition after esophagectomy is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in the salvage and secondary reconstruction setting, and should be confined to experienced, high-volume centers.

Colon interposition after esophagectomy: a 15-year single-center experience.

Colon interposition after esophagectomy: a 15-year single-center experience.

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