Stent Placement in Benign Esophageal Strictures

Publication date: Available online 26 December 2014 Source:Gastrointestinal Intervention Author(s): Wei-Zhong Zhou , Ho-Young Song , Jung-Hoon Park , Ji Hoon Shin , Jin Hyoung Kim For benign esophageal strictures, the primary treatment is balloon dilation. However, approximately 10% of the strictures are not improved after balloon dilation and are defined as refractory benign esophageal strictures. The main causes of refractory benign esophageal strictures are esophageal surgery, caustic injury, and radiotherapy. Self-expandable stents, used primarily for the palliation of malignant esophageal strictures, are now used for refractory benign strictures due to the evolution of stent materials and designs. Fully covered, self-expandable metallic stents are the most commonly used. However, major complications such as tissue overgrowth and stent migration make the long-term results unfavorable. Recent studies of biodegradable stents and drug-eluting stents have shown encouraging results which may help to reduce the major complications.
Source: Gastrointestinal Intervention - Category: Gastroenterology Source Type: research