Esophageal stricture: results of dilation of 300 patients.

Three hundred patients underwent 1,177 esophageal dilations over a nine-year period. There were 164 men and 136 women. Mean age was 63 years. Etiology of stricture was peptic (160), Schatzki's ring (124), cancer (8), post-surgical (3), post-radiation (2), caustic ingestion (1), and esophageal web (2). Dilators used were Maloney red-rubber mercury weighted (78.1%), Savary wire-guided (15.2%), Eder-Puestow (6.3%) and Balloon (0.4%). Fluoroscopy was used in 98% of cases. One hundred and two of the 111 patients with peptic strictures observed for longer than six months had successful dilation. Forty-five of these patients (40.5%) required 54 redilations to maintain relief of dysphagia. Nine patients were refractory to dilation, two needing serial dilation and seven surgery. All Schatzki's rings were treated successfully. Ten of 82 patients followed for greater than six months needed redilation (12%). Morbidity was 0.2% with two complications occurring, an esophageal perforation and one case of hematemesis. There was no mortality.