The era of minimally invasive esophagectomy

Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (MIE) has become a standard surgical approach for esophageal cancer in the world. In this report, we introduce the history of MIE which is different between eastern and western countries. With the development of surgical techniques, including single-lumen endotracheal intubation, CO2 artificial pneumothorax, and surgical positioning, the MIE has made great progress. It was approved that due to significantly reduced surgical trauma, MIE lowers postoperative morbidity and mortality while achieving a tumor resection efficacy comparable with the conventional open esophagectomy. The improvement of surgical instruments and modification of surgical approaches are the keys to gaining greater clinical advantage in the future of MIE, especially the popularity of robotic surgery.