Minimally invasive surgery for adult oesophageal duplication cysts: Clinical profile and outcomes of treatment from a tertiary care centre and a review of literature

Background: Oesophageal duplication cysts (ODC) are rare in adults. Complete surgical excision is the ideal treatment. Conventionally, it is performed through a thoracotomy. We aimed to study the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in the management of ODC and briefly reviewed the available literature. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of all adult patients with ODC diagnosed and treated at our tertiary care centre, from 2015 to 2019, was done. All patients were operated on by MIS. Their demographic, clinicopathological, radiological and surgical details and outcomes were analysed. Results: A total of six patients (four females and two males) were diagnosed to have ODC by contrast-enhanced computed tomography. The mean age was 38 +/- 4.4 years. The most common presenting complaint was chest pain (50%). Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was normal in four patients. Endoscopic ultrasound was performed in five patients. In four patients, the cyst was located in the distal third of the oesophagus. The mean size of the cysts was 5.7 +/- 2.02 cm. All the patients were operated upon by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). There was no conversion to open surgery. The resection was complete in all but one patient. The mean duration of surgery was 143.3 +/- 35 min, and the average blood loss was 58.33 +/- 20.4 mL. One patient had an oesophageal staple line leak on the 9th post-operative day. There was no mortality. The median duration of hospital stay was 7.5 days (range: 3-25 days). Conclusion: MIS is feasible and safe in the management of adult ODC.