Endoscopic Treatment of Benign Anastomotic Esophageal Stenosis with Electrocautery

Background And Study Aims: Stricture of the esophagus following surgical resection is uncommon. Several methods have been described for treatment of this entity, but the therapeutic success may be impaired either by poor long-term results or by poor acceptance by patients. Even the high cost of the therapeutic management may represent a problem. We describe the use of electrocautery to treat benign anastomotic esophageal stenosis.

Patients And Methods: Six unselected consecutive patients (four men, two women; mean age 68.3, range 54 - 82) with stenosis following esophagojejunostomy were enrolled in this trial. Postoperative stenoses were shown endoscopically (four patients) or radiographically (two patients). We performed endoscopic dilation of the strictures using electrocautery.

Results: In all patients we obtained dilation of the strictures, without any immediate or delayed procedure-related complication. No recurrence of the stenosis was demonstrated during a mean 24-month follow-up (range 8 - 33 months).

Conclusions: This study showed that endoscopic electrocautery is a safe and effective treatment for benign anastomotic esophageal stenosis.