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Published on: April 17, 2020

The management of esophageal strictures in children

A J Jawad1, A I Al-Samarrai, A Al-Rabeeah

  • 1Divisions of Pediatric Surgery and Gastroenterology, College of Medicine, and King Khalid Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Annals of Saudi Medicine
|January 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Balloon dilatation effectively treated esophageal strictures in children, showing low morbidity. This method improved feeding intolerance and growth delays in infants and young patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Surgical Innovation

Background:

  • Esophageal strictures in children present significant feeding intolerance and growth delays.
  • Conventional Savory dilators were historically used for treatment.
  • Etiologies include peptic esophagitis, corrosive ingestion, and post-surgical repair.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of balloon dilatation for pediatric esophageal strictures.
  • To compare outcomes between conventional and newer dilatation techniques.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective review of 36 children and infants treated for esophageal strictures between 1982 and 1992.
  • Patients were categorized by stricture etiology: peptic esophagitis (Group A), corrosive ingestion (Group B), and esophageal atresia repair (Group C).
  • Treatment evolved from Savory dilators to balloon dilatation over the study period.

Main Results:

  • No mortality was observed in the cohort.
  • Overall morbidity was 5.5%, including one case of esophageal perforation and one anastomotic leak.
  • Balloon dilatation was implemented in the latter part of the study, suggesting a shift towards this technique.

Conclusions:

  • Balloon dilatation represents a safe and effective treatment for pediatric esophageal strictures.
  • The study highlights the evolution of treatment modalities for improved patient outcomes.
  • Further research into long-term efficacy of balloon dilatation is warranted.

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