Surgical treatment of caustic esophageal strictures in adults

Caustic esophageal injury is a rare clinical condition in adult patients. Although dilatation, or the conservative approach, is the primary treatment method, some patients require surgical intervention. Because of the rarity of such cases, standard surgical treatment algorithms cannot be utilized. In this article, we present our surgical experience and discuss the challenges in the surgical management of corrosive injury of the esophagus in adults.

A retrospective review was conducted of 28 patients who suffered from a corrosive esophageal injury between 1996 and 2011. Patient demographics, history of corrosive material ingestion, preoperative findings, treatment strategy, operative technique, postoperative course, requirements for further treatment, and the current status of the patients were investigated.

All patients underwent a transhiatal esophagectomy in addition to a gastric pull-up with a cervical esophagogastrostomy. The mean follow-up time was 62 (12-140) months. One patient developed a deep surgical infection; anastomotic stenosis was noted and treated with dilatation in 13 patients. The mean time period between the operation and the first dilatation for 12 patients was 81 (45-161) days. The mean dilatation count for the patients was 3 (1-10).

Although it comes with high anastomotic stenosis rates, transhiatal esophagectomy and gastric pull-up with cervical anastomosis is a safe procedure, which can be performed for the treatment of corrosive esophageal stricture.