Intraoperative Assessment of Perfusion of the Gastric Graft and Correlation With Anastomotic Leaks After Esophagectomy

Laser-assisted fluorescent-dye angiography (LAA) was used prospectively in 150 patients undergoing esophagectomy with gastric pull-up to assess blood flow in the gastric tube.  Anastomotic leak occured in 17%.  Anastomoses performed in areas of normal perfusion had a 2% leak rate, compared to a 45% leak rate when anastomoses were performed in areas of poor perfusion.