Background: Benign, refractory esophageal strictures are an important therapeutic challenge. Metal stents occasionally have been used, but results have been disappointing. The present study assessed the safety and the...Background: Benign, refractory esophageal strictures are an important therapeutic challenge. Metal stents occasionally have been used, but results have been disappointing. The present study assessed the safety and the efficacy of temporary placement of the new expandable polyester silicone-covered stent for management of problematic esophageal strictures. Methods: Fifteen patients with benign esophageal strictures were treated by temporary (6 weeks) placement of an expandable polyester silicone-covered stent. All patients had previously been treated, unsuccessfully, by repetitive endoscopic dilation. Results: Stent placement was successful in all patients. There was no procedure-related complication. Dilation with over-the-guidewire polyvinyl dilators was required before stent placement. With the stent in situ, dysphagia completely resolved in all patients. Six weeks after placement, one stent was found to have migrated into the stomach. In the remaining patients, the stent was easily removed with a foreign body forceps. The pretreatment dysphagia score was 3 (range 24); the post-treatment score was 1 (range 0-1) (p < 0.0005). Long-term resolution (mean follow-up 22.7 [2.6] months) of the stricture was achieved in 12 patients (80%). The treatment failed in 3 patients, all of whom continue to require periodic dilation. Conclusions: In patients with benign esophageal strictures refractory to conventional dilation, temporary placement of a removable expandable polyester silicone-covered stent may lead to long-term relief of dysphagia with minimal morbidity.展开更多
Spontaneous intramural esophageal dissection is a rare disorder characterized by a lengthy laceration between the mucosal and submucosal layers of the esophageal wall, without perforation. The majority of previously r...Spontaneous intramural esophageal dissection is a rare disorder characterized by a lengthy laceration between the mucosal and submucosal layers of the esophageal wall, without perforation. The majority of previously reported cases of spontaneous intramural esophageal dissection were partial, and the circumferential type of intramural esophageal dissection has not been reported previously. Most spontaneous intramural esophageal dissection responds to conservative management, and usually it dose not lapse into a long protracted course of dealing with sequelae. We report an unusual case of circumferential intramural esophageal dissection, in which initial conservative management failed to alleviate the patient’ s dysphagia, necessitating the use of several endoscopic treatments, including incision of the septum between the false and true lumens, transection of the true esophageal wall, balloon dilatation, and metal stent insertion.展开更多
文摘Background: Benign, refractory esophageal strictures are an important therapeutic challenge. Metal stents occasionally have been used, but results have been disappointing. The present study assessed the safety and the efficacy of temporary placement of the new expandable polyester silicone-covered stent for management of problematic esophageal strictures. Methods: Fifteen patients with benign esophageal strictures were treated by temporary (6 weeks) placement of an expandable polyester silicone-covered stent. All patients had previously been treated, unsuccessfully, by repetitive endoscopic dilation. Results: Stent placement was successful in all patients. There was no procedure-related complication. Dilation with over-the-guidewire polyvinyl dilators was required before stent placement. With the stent in situ, dysphagia completely resolved in all patients. Six weeks after placement, one stent was found to have migrated into the stomach. In the remaining patients, the stent was easily removed with a foreign body forceps. The pretreatment dysphagia score was 3 (range 24); the post-treatment score was 1 (range 0-1) (p < 0.0005). Long-term resolution (mean follow-up 22.7 [2.6] months) of the stricture was achieved in 12 patients (80%). The treatment failed in 3 patients, all of whom continue to require periodic dilation. Conclusions: In patients with benign esophageal strictures refractory to conventional dilation, temporary placement of a removable expandable polyester silicone-covered stent may lead to long-term relief of dysphagia with minimal morbidity.
文摘Spontaneous intramural esophageal dissection is a rare disorder characterized by a lengthy laceration between the mucosal and submucosal layers of the esophageal wall, without perforation. The majority of previously reported cases of spontaneous intramural esophageal dissection were partial, and the circumferential type of intramural esophageal dissection has not been reported previously. Most spontaneous intramural esophageal dissection responds to conservative management, and usually it dose not lapse into a long protracted course of dealing with sequelae. We report an unusual case of circumferential intramural esophageal dissection, in which initial conservative management failed to alleviate the patient’ s dysphagia, necessitating the use of several endoscopic treatments, including incision of the septum between the false and true lumens, transection of the true esophageal wall, balloon dilatation, and metal stent insertion.
