Esophageal perforations, anastomotic leaks, and strictures: the role of prostheses.

Misfortunes deriving from esophageal anastomotic leaks, perforations, and strictures are surgical problems of major magnitude, especially when a delay in treatment exceeds 12 hours. To this date, there is not unanimity in the approach to these problems. The costs in hospital expense, morbidity, and mortality are such that methods thought to improve outcome should be given careful consideration. The author presents personal experience with intraluminal stenting under various circumstances with Celestin and Hood prostheses that seems to support their use in esophageal surgery as others have found in colon surgery. Further study of this method is suggested.