Defiant dysphagia: small-caliber esophagus and refractory benign esophageal strictures

Among causes of defiant dysphagia, two pose a special challenge for the clinician: the small-caliber esophagus and refractory benign esophageal strictures. The small-caliber esophagus is a major cause of dysphagia for solids in young patients with eosinophilic esophagitis. A smooth, diffusely narrow esophageal lumen can be appreciated by barium esophagography or esophagoscopy. The term "small-caliber esophagus" is preferred over "stricture" because of the absence of cicatrization. A "subtle" small-caliber esophagus may defy detection by barium esophagogram and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. The only evidence to its diagnosis is the endoscopic finding of unusually long rents in the body of the esophagus immediately after esophageal dilation. The ringed esophagus seems to be a variant of the small-caliber esophagus, with the additional endoscopic finding of a variable number of rings (few to numerous) throughout the narrowed esophagus. Classification, diagnosis, and management of small-caliber esophagus are discussed in this review. Refractory esophageal strictures have various causes, including gastroesophageal reflux disease, nasogastric tube placement, mediastinal irradiation, and corrosive ingestion. Treatments used to eliminate or reduce the need for frequent esophageal bougienage include acid-suppressive medical therapy, surgery, intralesional corticosteroid injection, and esophageal self-expandable metal stents.