The principal objective is to remove the esophagus, a part of the gastrointestinal tract (“food pipe”). This procedure is usually done for patients with esophageal cancer. It is normally done to remove cancerous tumors from the body. It is best done when an esophageal cancer is detected early, before it has spread. If taken up early enough, an esophagectomy might prove to be life saving. Despite significant improvements in technique and postoperative care, the long term survival for esophageal cancer is still poor. Currently multimodality treatment is needed (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) for advanced tumors. Esophagectomy is also occasionally performed for benign disease such as esophageal atresia in children, achalasia, or caustic injury.
At GBMC, Dr. Ahmad Bashir with Dr. Abdalla Bashir have performed the first total Transhiatal Laparoscopic Esophagectomy in Jordan in 2011. They have performed many since. Some cases require a thoracic incision if the tumor is big or stuck to other surrounding structures. All these technical issues are dealt with at GBMC and Jordan Hospital with a vast experience and great success.