DOZ047.56: Esophageal stent placement for the treatment of severe stricture after the operation for esophageal atresia—preliminary report

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Anastomotic stricture is the most common complication after the treatment of esophageal atresia. It occurs in 20%–80% of operated patients. The stricture can be usually effectively managed by repeated bougie or balloon dilations. Stent placement therapy is reserved for severe strictures. Material and Methods Between 2006 and 2018, 73 patients with esophageal atresia were admitted to the clinic. The esophagus was anastomosed in 63 of those patients. Clinical history of three patients with severe stricture treated with stent placement was analyzed retrospectively. Results Two patients were treated for esophageal atresia with lower tracheoesophageal fistula and one without the fistula (type ‘A’). In two patients, the undertension primary anastomosis was possible. The third patient underwent esophageal reconstruction with the large curvature of the stomach after upper esophagus elongation (Collis procedure). Anastomotic leakage and severe anastomotic stricture occurred in all three patients. Severe stricture was the indication for stent placement in two cases and a perforation during the dilation procedure in one. All stents were removed after the period of one week. The removal was accelerated by the aggravation of tracheomalacia symptoms in one case and by the onset of pulmonary tract infection due to gastroesophageal reflux in another. The third stent migrated to the stomach and had to be removed during endoscopy. One patient, qualified for stent therapy due to the perforation, did not require any other dilations after stent removal. In one patient with severe stricture, the stent therapy accelerated the healing—the narrowing never got tighter than the stent diameter and he required only three more dilations. In the third patient, no positive impact of the stent therapy was observed. Conclusions Stent placement for severe esophageal stricture after anastomosis was the definite therapy in one patient and substantially reduced the number of required dilations in one. Complications of the stent placement appeared in two out of three patients.