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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Have Collapsed Upper Esophagus From Radiation Treatment Done. Need Surgeon Who Can Cut Through Scar Tissue.

Hi.. my name is Angel Roman. I have a completely collapsed upper esophagus from radiation treatment done in oct - dec 2012. I am in need of locating a surgeon who can cut through my scar tissue so I can swallow again. I cannot swallow anything, even my own saliva , since Nov 2012. My only nutrition comes through a peg feeding tube. I have Humana, Medicaid from Florida as insurance. I have had a rendezvous procedure done in early October 2013, and it wasn t a success.. Too much scar tissue. Can you recommend a surgeon for me that can remove the scar tissue in my upper esophagus?
posted on Sat, 26 Oct 2013
Twitter Wed, 30 Oct 2013 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 30 Oct 2013 Last reviewed on
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ENT Specialist,  's  Response
Cutting through the scar tissue usually not possible and also does not help. One need to put a stent through the scar tissue even if it is possible to cut through the scar. The other options are- doing a pharyngectomy and esophagestomy and forming a tube of stomach and joining it with base of tongue or a free jejunum transfer. many a times a pharyngectomy needs to be combined with a laryngectomy followed by reconsruction as decribed. The most important thing to note is to make sure that the disease for which radiation was given is gone. So, consult a head and neck surgeon at a place where reconstructive surgery facilities including microvascular surgery are available. Regards
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Have Collapsed Upper Esophagus From Radiation Treatment Done. Need Surgeon Who Can Cut Through Scar Tissue.

Cutting through the scar tissue usually not possible and also does not help. One need to put a stent through the scar tissue even if it is possible to cut through the scar. The other options are- doing a pharyngectomy and esophagestomy and forming a tube of stomach and joining it with base of tongue or a free jejunum transfer. many a times a pharyngectomy needs to be combined with a laryngectomy followed by reconsruction as decribed. The most important thing to note is to make sure that the disease for which radiation was given is gone. So, consult a head and neck surgeon at a place where reconstructive surgery facilities including microvascular surgery are available. Regards