Objective  To investigate the feasibility, safety, and short-term effect of minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy.

  Methods  We conducted a retrospective evaluation of 88 patients with esophageal carcinoma who received minimally invasive esophagectomy in our center from October 2013 to April 2014. Among the 88 patients, 46 patients underwent total endoscopy McKeown esophagectomy (TEME) and 42 patients underwent thoracoscope combined with laparotomy Mckeown esophagectomy (TLME). The clinicopathologic factors, operational factors, and postoperative complications of the two approaches were compared.

  Results  The two groups were similar in terms of age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, tumor location, preoperative staging, and comorbidity. The TEME approach was associated with a significant decrease in abdominal blood loss and postoperative pain relative to the TEME approach (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of histologic type, postoperation TNM staging, abdominal operation time, intensive care unit stay, chest tube duration, postoperative stay, the number of total lymph nodes dissected or the stations of the total lymph nodes dissected, and lymph metastasis rate (P >0.05). The total morbidity and total respiratory complications in the TEME group were lower than those in the TLME group (P < 0.05). Incidences of pneumonia, arrhythmia, wound infection of minor complications, and pneumonia of major complications were relatively low in the TEME approach.

  Conclusion  Our TEME technique can be safely and effectively performed for cervical anastomosis during esophageal surgeries to achieve favorable early outcomes.