[Indications and limitations of esophagoscopy with flexible fiberoptics (author's transl)]

The authors evaluate the results of 241 diagnostic esophagoscopies with fiberoptics performed in the years 1973/74. The fiberoptics were successfully used in 208 patients (86%) suffering of inflammatory processes of the esophagus, hiatus hernias, carcinomas and spontaneous or traumatic bleeding of the esophagus. In 33 cases (14%) the fiberoptics were not sufficient in establishing a diagnosis and had to be followed by a classical esophagoscopy. This was necessary in stenosis of the esophagus, pathological changes in the area of the esophageal entrance and marked suprastenotic dilatations of the esophagus with food retention. It is concluded that in esophageal diagnostics in addition to flexible fiberoptics there is still a need for the classical instruments like metallic esophagoscopy tubes of different length and lighting.