THREE quarters of a century have elapsed since Czerny performed the first successful resection of the cervical portion of the esophagus for carcinoma1; however, the most notable advances in the treatment of this disease have been made during the past 15 years. Progress in medical science stimulated development of surgery of the thoracic portion of the esophagus, and this in turn led to reevaluation of the treatment of lesions of the cervical portion. The accessibility of the regional lymphatic vessels and the ability to sacrifice anatomic structures adjacent to this area fulfil the requirements of modern cancer surgery.
The cervical portion of the esophagus is approximately 10 cm. in length, extending from the cricoid cartilage at the level of the sixth cervical vertebra to the thoracic inlet at the level of the third dorsal vertebra. The intimate anatomic relationship of the cervical portion of the gullet to the larynx