3.3 The esophageal route
For each type of esophageal route below CPL, MPL was observed with a longer average distance to the esophagus (P < 0.001), greater average thickness of the myocardium (P < 0.001), and higher presence of fat pad than that observed in CPL, respectively (p < 0.001, Table 2). The minimum distance from the MPL to the esophagus was also longer than that from CPL to the esophagus (P = 0.001, Table 2). However, in the type C esophageal route, the minimum thickness of myocardium under CPL was similar to that under MPL (P = 0.06). In each posterior line group, there was no difference in the distance from LAPW to the esophagus relative to the thickness of LAPW myocardium or the presence of a fat pad among the 3 types of the esophageal routes (P > 0.05). Above the level of CPL, the esophageal route type 1 included 93 patients (91.2%), and esophageal type 2 included 9 patients (8.8%). Below the level of CPL, all of the type A route (36 patients), all type B route (53 patients) and only 30.8% of type C route (n = 4/13 patients) to the esophagus had a shorter distance to the left inferior PV than to the right inferior PV. Of the type C esophageal route patients, 69.2% (n = 9/13) had a shorter distance to the right inferior PV than to the left inferior PV.