Esophageal Patch Graft

The esophageal wall can be damaged by foreign bodies lodged for a period of time. Healing after surgical removal can be improved with external tissue buttressing. The abdominal cavity has the omentum. The neck and thoracic cavity do not have a similar external supporting tissue for sutured incisions in the esophagus. In the neck adjacent muscles can be used for patch grafting and support of a marginal suture closure. In the thoracic cavity, a pericardial and/or diaphragmatic muscular graft can be mobilized to accomplish the same purpose.