ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2026
Prophylactic Pyloric Dilatation and its Impact on Early Delayed Gastric Conduit Emptying and Pneumonia Post-esophagectomy: A Multi-centre Cohort Study.
Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEarly delayed gastric conduit emptying (DGCE) and pneumonia are among the most common complications following oesophagectomy. These issues can be challenging to address during minimally invasive surgery with pyloroplasty or pyloromyotomy. This study evaluated the impact of prophylactic endoscopic pyloric balloon dilatation (PBD) on early postoperative outcomes.
methodsConsecutive patients undergoing oesophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction for cancer at two Australian tertiary centres (2017-2025) were retrospectively analysed. From 2023, intraoperative endoscopic-assisted PBD using a 20 mm balloon inflated for two minutes across the pylorus was adopted as standard practice. Primary endpoints were early DGCE and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) within 30 days; secondary endpoints included nasogastric tube (NGT) output and duration, and hospital length-of-stay. Associations were examined using multivariable logistic regression and inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA).
resultsOf 187 patients, 40 (21.4%) received PBD. Compared with controls, PBD was associated with reduced DGCE (15% vs. 40.1%; odds ratio [OR] 0.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.11-0.65) and HAP (20% vs. 40.8%; OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.17-0.80). Pyloric balloon dilatation independently predicted lower DGCE (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12-0.91) and HAP (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.05-0.67), with absolute risk reductions of 27.4% and 30.8% respectively on IPWRA analysis. Pyloric balloon dilatation was also associated with lower postoperative NGT outputs, earlier NGT removal (median 6 [interquartile range (IQR) 4-11] vs. 4 [IQR 3-7] days; p = 0.032), and shorter hospital length of stay (median 13 [IQR 9-22] vs. 9 [IQR 8-16] days; p = 0.007).
conclusionsProphylactic PBD was associated with lower early DGCE and pneumonia. This enabled earlier nasogastric tube removal and shorter hospital stay, supporting its integration into contemporary practice.
Identifiers
42844530What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.