3/10/2005 - Constantine Frantzides, MD, PhD, FACS, Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery  at NorthShore University HealthSystem, is the only surgeon worldwide who is pioneering a new, minimally-invasive surgical technique to treat patients who suffer from Barrett’s esophagus with high-grade dysplasia (a precancerous change in tissue) that may lead to esophageal cancer. A description of this novel technique, entitled “Laparoscopic Transgastric Esophageal Mucosal Resection for High-Grade Dysplasia,” was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques. The article discusses the first two patients with a history of Barrett’s esophagus with high-grade dysplasia who underwent the procedure successfully and healed without complications or recurrence of the disorder.

“This is the first report of this type of procedure to treat this condition,” said Dr. Frantzides, who also is Professor of Surgery at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “The minimally-invasive technique is a major advancement because it offers patients an alternative to traditional surgery that removes the esophagus entirely or to endoscopic procedures that examine and remove abnormal segments of the esophagus but may miss an underlying malignancy.” During the procedure, a surgeon actually approaches a patient’s esophagus through tiny incisions in the abdomen and removes abnormal segments from the inside esophageal layer, where cancer typically starts.

Patients who are candidates for this surgery include individuals who have precancerous Barrett’s esophagus with high-grade dysplasia that results from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This common condition increases the risk of esophageal cancer, one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States. It occurs when stomach acid backs up in the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food to the stomach. Over time, this condition may cause injury to the esophageal lining and lead to Barrett’s esophagus. As well as reducing their risk of esophageal cancer, patients who choose this option also can relieve symptoms of heartburn and discontinue medications.

Dr. Frantzides recently presented his paper, “Laparoscopic Transgastric Esophageal Mucosal Resection” at the annual meeting of the World Organization for Specialized Studies on Diseases of the Esophagus in Paris, France, and the annual meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgery in Denver, CO.