Microvasculature of the human esophagus: A study on 25 autopsy specimens

The increasing number of esophagectomies coupled with the importance of microvasculature for anastomotic healing and a paucity of published data have prompted this study. Human esophagi were harvested from 12 male and 13 female cadavers with a mean age of 57.7 years (21–84) and an average length of 30.7 cm (22–40). Transverse sections (31) of each esophagus were made at equidistant intervals and prepared for microscopy. The number of intramural capillaries was counted in each section, the mean being 51.8 (45.4–61.3). Vascularization of the esophagus was best at the level of the cricoid cartilage (57. 12), proximal to the clavicles (57.44), and in its distal thoracic part (61.28), and worst cranial to the aortic arch (47.64) and above the diaphragm (45.36). The differences were significant (p < 0.05). The parts with the least number of capillaries correspond to the zones between the different origins of the main arterial sources. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.