Surgical Enucleation of Esophageal Leiomyoma

Surgical Enucleation of Esophageal Leiomyoma

Five patients with esophageal leiomyoma were treated; including 4 cases of thoracoscopic enucleation and one case of endoscopic enucleation. The size of these esophageal leiomyomas varied from 0.5 cm to 16 cm. Of these patients, three were male and two were female, aged 41 to 62 years, with an average of 48.6 years. In three cases, a leiomyoma was located at the upper third of the esophagus and one each at the middle third and lower third. Operating time varied from 65 minutes to 123 minutes, with an average of 88.6 minutes, and postoperative hospital stay varied from one day to 6 days with an average of 3.6 days. A 62-year-old female with a large leiomyoma in the middle esophagus presented with symptoms of bloody sputum for several days. She underwent thoracoscopic enucleation of the 16 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm esophageal leiomyoma, which presented angulation. Following surgery, a regular diet was followed and the patient was discharged uneventfully on the third postoperative day. A thoracoscopic approach is used to enucleate most esophageal leiomyomas, especially large ones.