ABSTRACT
A silicone-covered modified Gianturco stent in patients with malignant esophageal stricture is an easy, safe, and effective palliative procedure, but reports of complications arising from stent placement in patients with this condition are numerous. There have been no reports of fracture of the modified Gianturco esophageal stent. We report a case of stent fracture in association with gastric migration of modified Gianturco esophageal stent in a patient with malignant esophageal stricture. It appears that the fracture was probably due to oxidation of the stent by gastric juice.
Subject(s)
Humans , Esophageal Stenosis , Gastric Juice , StentsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation in the treatment of esophageal achalasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under fluoroscopic guidance, 21 balloon dilation procedures were performed in 14 patients with achalasia. A balloon with a diameter of 20mm was used for the initial attempt. Ifthe patient tolerated this well, the procedure was repeated with a 10-20 mm balloon, placed alongside at the same session. If, however, the patient complained of severe chest pain and/or a postprocedural esophagogram showed an improvement, the additional balloon was not used. For patients whose results were unsatisfactory, the dilation procedure was repeated at sessions three to seven days apart. RESULTS: Succesful dilation was achieved in 13 of 14patients(92.9%), who needed a total of 20 sessions of balloon dilation, ranging from one to three sessions perpatient(mean, 1.54 sessions). Esophageal rupture occured in one of 14 patients(7.1%) ; of the 13 patients who underwent a successful dilation procedure, 12(92.3%) were free of recurrent symptoms during the follow-up periodof 1-56(mean, 18.5) months. The remaning patient(7.7%) had a recurrence seven months after dilation. CONCLUSION: Fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation seems to be safe and effective in the treatment of esophageal achalasia.