Dilation of esophageal strictures: comparative morbidity of antegrade and retrograde methods

A total of 687 dilations of esophageal strictures were performed on 59 patients in the operating room over a 17-year period. Seventy-nine percent of the strictures were secondary to caustic ingestion and 89% of the dilations were in these patients. Antegrade dilations were performed 389 times and retrograde dilations were performed 298 times. Esophageal perforation occurred seven times with antegrade dilations. There were no perforations with retrograde dilations. The retrograde method using Tucker bougies is the safest and most successful method of dilating severe strictures.