The abdominal wound is then closed and the patient is placed in the left lateral position. A right posterolateral thoracotomy is performed through the fifth intercostal space, and the azygos vein is divided to provide full access to the whole length of the esophagus. The stomach is delivered through the diaphragmatic hiatus. The esophagus is resected and the stomach is anastomosed to the cervical esophagus.
The patient made an uneventful recovery.