Bangladeshi patient resumes oral fluids after cervical oesophagus reconstruction

A Bangladeshi man who had depended on gastrostomy feeding for nine years regained the ability to take liquids by mouth after reconstruction at West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Follow-up endoscopy after more than three months showed good healing of the pharyngeal and oesophageal wounds, allowing removal of his feeding tube.

Years of treatment and a failed reconstruction

Mr Kamrul, a pseudonym, was first diagnosed with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in 2001. Subsequent treatment in Bangladesh, the United States and elsewhere included repeated surgery and two courses of full-dose radiotherapy.

He was left with major head and neck defects, loss of the cervical oesophagus and a persistent pharyngeal fistula. Radiation-related fibrosis made the neck tissues rigid and poorly supplied with blood.

In 2016, reconstruction using a flap from his right thigh in New York failed after infection, necrosis and shrinkage. He could no longer eat by mouth and relied on gastrostomy feeding. Following specialist recommendations, he and his family travelled to Chengdu in late November 2025.

Planning around scar tissue and exposed vessels

Chen Fei’s ear, nose and throat–head and neck surgery team consulted cardiology, anaesthesia, clinical nutrition and imaging specialists. The assessment covered dense scars from earlier operations, impaired blood supply after radiotherapy and exposed major neck vessels.

Cardiovascular conditions and perioperative nutrition also required planning. The teams prepared a reconstruction strategy and management arrangements before operating.

Combined flap repair and later oral intake

The surgeons used a technique the hospital describes as free-flap reuse combined with neck–shoulder–chest composite flaps. These reconstructed the cervical oesophagus and repaired the pharyngeal fistula.

The operation lasted three hours, with blood loss no greater than 100 millilitres. Kamrul was discharged in early December 2025 and returned to Bangladesh to continue recovering.

At the later endoscopic review, the wounds were healing well. His tube was removed and he began taking liquids orally.