Figure 1.

Total adventitial resection of the cardia: Starting the crural dissection anteriorly, enter the mediastinum between the pericardium and pericardial fat pad (A). The dissection anterior to the pericardial fat pad is continued laterally in both directions until the pleura is entered (B). The line of dissection through the right crus and lower mediastinal pleura is shown (C). Having divided the posterior fibres of the left crus, the preaortic plane is entered and the preaortic fascia is elevated en bloc with the specimen (D).