Safe and Proper Management of Esophageal Stricture Using Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation

Jae Jin Hwang

doi:10.5946/ce.2017.100

Articles

Page Path: HOME > Clin Endosc > Volume 50(4); 2017 > Article

Commentary Safe and Proper Management of Esophageal Stricture Using Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation: Jae Jin Hwang; Clinical Endoscopy 2017;50(4):309-310.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5946/ce.2017.100
Published online: July 31, 2017

Department of Internal Medicine, Digestive Disease Center and Research Institute, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Korea

Correspondence: Jae Jin Hwang Department of Internal Medicine, Digestive Disease Center and Research Institute, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, 170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon 14584, Korea Tel: +82-32-621-5212, Fax: +82-32-621-5080, E-mail: frontierassa@schmc.ac.kr

• Received: June 20, 2017 • Revised: July 18, 2017 • Accepted: July 18, 2017

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

9,592 Views
228 Download
5 Web of Science
8 Crossref
6 Scopus

Full Article

Download PDF

NOTES
REFERENCES

See the article "Health-Care Utilization and Complications of Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation in a National Population" on page 366.

See "Health-Care Utilization and Complications of Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation in a National Population" by Abhinav Goyal, Kshitij Chatterjee, Sujani Yadlapati, et al., [Related article:] 366-371.

Treatment of esophageal stricture is important because esophageal stricture reduces the quality of life of patients by increasing their risks of dysphagia, weight loss, nutritional imbalance, and pneumonia due to aspiration.

Esophageal stricture is mainly classified as benign or malignant esophageal stricture, and may occur as fibrous production and collagen deposition due to chronic ulceration or chronic inflammation or as complications after chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery such as esophagectomy, or endoscopic procedures such as endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection for the treatment of esophageal cancer [1,2]. Esophageal stricture caused by active peptic ulcer or gastroesophageal reflux can be treated with drugs such as proton pump inhibitors, which inhibit gastric acid secretion. However, esophageal dilation has been used as the first-choice treatment modality for esophageal stricture without acute inflammatory response.

Esophageal dilation generally involves esophageal bougination, balloon dilation, and stent insertion [3]. Among these, endoscopic balloon dilation using a through-the-scope balloon is widely used as an important treatment approach for esophageal stricture owing to its lower complication rates than other methods [4]. Endoscopic balloon dilation can be operated under direct endoscopy, and the risk of perforation is lower than that with esophageal bougination because the force is not applied to the longitudinal axis of the stricture zone and the radial pressure is applied completely [5]. Moreover, the possibility of pressure or damage to the pharynx and larynx is also relatively low [6]. However, in the case of malignant esophageal stricture, esophageal bougination or balloon dilation can provide a short-term symptom improvement and is usually used as an auxiliary procedure prior to stenting or photodynamic therapy [5].

In this issue of Clinical Endoscopy, Goyal et al. retrospectively analyzed the health-care utilization of endoscopic dilation for the treatment of esophageal strictures in the inpatient setting, and defined the rate of complications and outcomes of this procedure by using data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database [7]. They analyzed 591,187 hospitalizations involving esophageal stricture that occurred between 2007 and 2013, and endoscopic dilation was performed in 29% of esophageal stricture cases. Compared with the benign stricture group, the malignant stricture group had more frequent utilization, longer hospital stays, higher in-hospital mortality rate, and higher incidence of esophageal perforation. Although they already mentioned some limitations in the Discussion section, they presented evidence-based conclusions by analyzing data from the NIS database.

In a previous large-scale study, the major complications related to esophageal dilation were perforation (0.1%–0.4%) and bleeding (0.3%), similar to those in this study [8]. Other studies reported high incidence of esophageal-related complications as follows: First, in the case of stricture caused by malignant diseases such as esophageal cancer, the perforation rate related to dilation therapy was high. Second, in the benign diseases, the stricture caused by radiotherapy and surgery were related to the risk of perforation [8].

Various methods have been reported to reduce the complications of esophageal perforation and to increase the success rate of esophageal dilation. Several studies have reported that esophageal dilation does not attempt to expand balloons more than 3 mm at a time, or if the resistance is felt in bougination, the risk of perforation is reduced by not sequentially expanding more than three times [8,9]. Another study reported that local injection of steroid after balloon dilation would be effective because it suppresses local inflammatory reactions and inhibits collagen formation [10]. A method of incision of the stricture site by using an argon plasma coagulation method or an endoscopic incisional knife has been proposed for the purpose of sufficiently expanding the lumen of the esophagus by separating the fibrotic tissue and restraining the regeneration of fibrotic tissue [11]. Although methods for introducing self-expanding stents in refractory benign esophageal strictures have been reported, the stent has to be removed 4 to 12 weeks after stenting, and the success rate of esophageal stenting after stenting is approximately 24% [12,13].

In conclusion, endoscopic esophageal dilation is a useful treatment for patients with esophageal stricture, although complications such as esophageal perforation are more common in patients with malignant strictures. Therefore, the timing of endoscopic esophageal dilation in patients with esophageal stricture should be determined. Moreover, considering the advantages and disadvantages of various endoscopic esophageal dilation procedures, the appropriate method of endoscopic esophageal dilation should be chosen in accordance with the cause and condition of the stricture.

Conflicts of Interest:The author has no financial conflicts of interest.

REFERENCES

1. Honkoop P, Siersema PD, Tilanus HW, Stassen LP, Hop WC, van Blankenstein M. Benign anastomotic strictures after transhiatal esophagectomy and cervical esophagogastrostomy: risk factors and management. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996;111:1141–1146; ; discussion 1147-1148.Article PubMed
2. Pierie JP, de Graaf PW, Poen H, van der Tweel I, Obertop H. Incidence and management of benign anastomotic stricture after cervical oesophagogastrostomy. Br J Surg 1993;80:471–474.Article PubMed
3. Spechler SJ. AGA technical review on treatment of patients with dysphagia caused by benign disorders of the distal esophagus. Gastroenterology 1999;117:233–254.Article PubMed
4. Scolapio JS, Pasha TM, Gostout CJ, et al. A randomized prospective study comparing rigid to balloon dilators for benign esophageal strictures and rings. Gastrointest Endosc 1999;50:13–17.Article PubMed
5. Jones DB, Davies PS, Smith PM. Endoscopic insertion of palliative oesophageal tubes in oesophagogastric neoplasms. Br J Surg 1981;68:197–198.Article PubMed
6. Anderson PE, Cook A, Amery AH. A review of the practice of fibreoptic endoscopic dilatation of oesophageal stricture. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 1989;71:124–127.PubMed PMC
7. Goyal A, Chatterjee K, Yadlapati S, Singh S. Health-care utilization and complications of endoscopic esophageal dilation in a national population. Clin Endosc 2017;50:366–371.Article PubMed PMC PDF
8. Standards of Practice Committee, Egan JV, Baron TH, et al. Esophageal dilation. Gastrointest Endosc 2006;63:755–760.Article PubMed
9. Lew RJ, Kochman ML. A review of endoscopic methods of esophageal dilation. J Clin Gastroenterol 2002;35:117–126.Article PubMed
10. Ramage JI Jr, Rumalla A, Baron TH, et al. A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of endoscopic steroid injection therapy for recalcitrant esophageal peptic strictures. Am J Gastroenterol 2005;100:2419–2425.Article PubMed
11. Samanta J, Dhaka N, Sinha SK, Kochhar R. Endoscopic incisional therapy for benign esophageal strictures: technique and results. World J Gastrointest Endosc 2015;7:1318–1326.Article PubMed PMC
12. van Halsema EE, van Hooft JE. Clinical outcomes of self-expandable stent placement for benign esophageal diseases: a pooled analysis of the literature. World J Gastrointest Endosc 2015;7:135–153.Article PubMed PMC
13. Thomas T, Abrams KR, Subramanian V, Mannath J, Ragunath K. Esophageal stents for benign refractory strictures: a meta-analysis. Endoscopy 2011;43:386–393.Article PubMed PDF

Figure & Data

REFERENCES

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of endoscopic and fluoroscopic balloon dilatation in benign esophageal strictures
Kwangbeom Park, Chang Hoon Oh, Do Hoon Kim, Ji Hoon Shin, Hee Kyong Na, Ji Yong Ahn, Jeong Hoon Lee, Kee Wook Jung, Kee Don Choi, Ho June Song, Gin Hyug Lee, Hwoon-Yong Jung
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine.2026; 41(3): 462. CrossRef
Esophageal stricture due to corrosive substance ingested and delayed management: A case report
Arival Yanuar Riswanto, Budi Widodo, Titong Sugihartono, Nurike Setiyari Mudjari
Trauma Case Reports.2025; 57: 101171. CrossRef
Delayed Management of Esophageal Stricture due to Caustic Ingestion: A Case Report
Taufik Burhan, Budi Widodo, Titong Sugihartono, Arival Yanuar Riswanto
Gastro Hep Advances.2025; 4(7): 100659. CrossRef
Prevalence and Costs of Esophageal Strictures in the United States
Angela Z. Xue, Chelsea Anderson, Cary C. Cotton, Charles E. Gaber, Cynthia Feltner, Evan S. Dellon
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.2024; 22(9): 1821. CrossRef
Combined Endoscopic Techniques for Esophageal Pinhole-like Stenosis after Photodynamic Therapy
Takafumi Ikeda, Hirofumi Matsui
The Journal of Japan Society for Laser Surgery and Medicine.2023; 44(2): 136. CrossRef
The Most Common Causes of Benign Esophageal Stricture in Children and the Success Rate of Endoscopic Balloon Dilatation, a Single-Center Experience
Hamid Reza Sadeghi, Mehri Najafi Sani, Fatemeh Farahmand, Hosein Alimadadi, Farzaneh Motamed, Gholam Hosein Fallahi, Kambiz Eftekhari
Journal of Comprehensive Pediatrics.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Successful Recanalization of a Long-Segment Complete Esophageal Stricture Using Endoscopic and Fluoroscopic Techniques
Steven Lam, Duane E. Deivert, Joshua C. Obuch
ACG Case Reports Journal.2019; 6(7): 00130. CrossRef
Proximal third esophageal peptic stricture in an elderly patient: a case report and review
Edgar Meza Felix, Pamela Navarro Hernandez, Noe Israel Cano Zepeda, Fernando Perez Aguilar
MOJ Gerontology & Geriatrics.2018;[Epub] CrossRef

PubReader
ePub Link

Cite

CITE: export Copy Download Format; Close

Download Citation

Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.

Format:

RIS — For EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and most other reference management software
BibTeX — For JabRef, BibDesk, and other BibTeX-specific software

Include:

Citation for the content below
Citation and abstract for the content below

Safe and Proper Management of Esophageal Stricture Using Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation

Clin Endosc. 2017;50(4):309-310. Published online July 31, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5946/ce.2017.100

XML Download

Safe and Proper Management of Esophageal Stricture Using Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation