[Laparoscopic transhiatal oesophagectomy: our experience].

The authors present their initial experience with minimally invasive surgery of the oesophagus. Two emblematic cases of benign and malignant oesophageal pathology, treated by laparoscopic transhiatal oesophagectomy, are reported. The surgical procedure is described in detail and compared with other techniques reported in the literature. Its advantages in terms of postoperative pain and morbidity are stressed. The role of the procedure in neoplastic diseases of the oesophagus is still debated, above all with regard to the accuracy of the mediastinal node dissection.