Intraluminal Resection of Esophageal Strictures

The ideal treatment of stricture in the esophagus due to saponated cresol solution (Lysol) is, and will probably continue to be, early and regular dilatation until the situation is under control. However, there are, as every endoscopist knows, a certain few cases where this treatment fails, owing usually to late institution of therapy or failure on the part of the patient to follow through with regularity with his dilatations. Some of these failures are successfully handled by the thoracic surgeon; yet there remain a few cases where all of the conventional approaches fail for one reason or another. It is in this small desperate group of patients that the technique of intraluminal resection may make the difference between dangerous and not entirely satisfactory esophageal replacement surgery or a lifetime gastrostomy tube.

REPORT OF A CASE  A patient who fell into this latter class has been under intermittent observation and treatment