Effectiveness of computed tomography scoring for the early diagnosis of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy

Purpose Anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy is associated with increased mortality; therefore, early diagnosis is highly important. This study aimed to identify the characteristic computed tomography (CT) findings of cervical anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer and evaluate the effectiveness of CT scoring in screening the anastomotic leakage. Methods Overall, 91 patients who underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy with cervical esophago-gastric anastomosis were included. We investigated the correlation between anastomotic leakage and the presence of the microbubble sign, evident air retention, and fluid collection in the cervical and mediastinal regions. CT findings were scored, and the cutoff value was set to 2 points on the receiver operating characteristic curve. The patients were divided into two groups based on the CT score (≥ 2 points and ≤ 1 point). Results CT findings of the microbubble sign ( p = 0.01; odds ratio [OR], 8.545; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.596–45.73), cervical air retention ( p < 0.01; OR, 12.43; 95% CI, 2.084–74.17), and cervical fluid collection ( p < 0.01; OR, 9.359; 95% CI, 1.753–49.96) significantly correlated with anastomotic leakage. The ≥ 2-point CT score group showed a significantly higher incidence of anastomotic leakage than the ≤ 1-point group ( p < 0.01; OR, 16.28; 95% CI [4.704–56.38]). A ≥ 2-point CT score had higher sensitivity (84.2%) than upper gastrointestinal series (36.8%). Conclusion The presence of microbubble sign, air retention, and fluid collection in the cervical area correlated with anastomotic leakage after cervical anastomosis in thoracoscopic esophagectomy. CT scores are useful early anastomotic leakage detectors.