Treatment of Esophageal Stricture After Lye Ingestion

Caustic ingestions represent a well-known public health concern. Ingestion of highly alkali agents (lye ingestion) from the consumption of cleaning products is common, with an estimated 200,000 cases reported annually in the United States. Long-term complications of lye ingestion include esophageal strictures, gastric stenosis, and cancer. We describe a 53-year-old woman who suffered from lye ingestion as a child complicated by refractory esophageal strictures. Twenty years after esophagectomy and colon interposition, she developed debilitating dysphagia with daily regurgitation. The case highlights the long-term gastrointestinal consequences of lye ingestion and the evolution of endoscopic and surgical treatments of known complications.