Bidirectional esophageal dilatation in pharyngoesophageal stenosis postradiotherapy

Abstract

Severely stenosed radiation-induced benign strictures around the level of cricopharyngeus post-radical chemoradiation for head and neck or upper esophageal cancers pose significant management problems. We report our technique of bidirectional assessment and dilatation of pharyngoesophageal strictures in patients with an in situ percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube. The upper gastrointestinal surgeon approached the area of stenosis in a retrograde manner through the PEG tube to guide the otolaryngeal surgeon who performed anterograde dilatation via a rigid laryngoscope. Between 2005 and 2009, bidirectional esophageal dilatation was performed on 5 patients at our institution. Video f..