[Minimally invasive surgery in tumors of the esophagus].

The endoscopic-microsurgical dissection of the esophagus (EMDE) was developed to reduce the operative risk of resecting tumor-bearing esophagus. Utilizing an operation-mediastinoscope, the esophagus is freed from surrounding tissues in a circular fashion. Blood vessels are coagulated and cut. Under good endoscopic view and minimal blood loss, the esophagus can be freed via a cervical incision and extracted caudally. Up to now the EMDE has been utilized in 7 patients. The intra- and postoperative course was without problems. In the future, we further expect to see a reduction in cardio-pulmonary postoperative complications.