Research Information System
in: Advanced Thoracic Surgery, Akın Eraslan Balcı,Hasan Ersöz,Mustafa Yüksel, Editor, Akademisyen Kitabevi, Ankara, pp.281-288, 2021
An esophageal stricture refers to the abnormal narrowing of the esophageal lumen. It often
presents as dysphagia commonly described by
patients as difficulty in swallowing. It is a serious
sequela to many different disease processes and
underlying etiologies. Benign means that it is not
caused by cancer of the esophagus, and subjects to
inflammation, esophagitis, and scar tissue, which
causes the esophagus to narrow. Its recognition
and management should be prompt.These strictures have a negative impact on
the quality of life of patients, mainly because of
dysphagia and may lead to severe complications,
such as malnutrition, weight loss and aspiration.
Endoscopic dilation with bougies or balloons is
initial standard treatment for such lesions.Esophagectomy is rarely needed for benign
conditions. Usually reserved for end-stage disease, when the esophagus is either severely
non-functional or when quality of life is very
poor. In these circumstances esophagectomy is a
good option to consider and it is associated with
encouraging success rates and improved quality
of life. Depending on the specific disease leading
to organ failure, peculiar technical issues should
be carefully evaluated in order to avoid complications and optimize results