[Conservative treatment of esophageal stenoses with balloon catheters]

A total of 92 dilatations using the balloon-catheter were carried out in 46 patients with oesophageal strictures. Of these 73 were in 36 patients having a benign primary disease, predominantly stenoses following anastomotic operations or with stenoses resulting from reflux oesophagitis. The average relapse-free period after balloon-catheter dilatation was 6.3 times greater than with bougienage. Balloon-catheter dilatation has proved to be a simple and safe procedure that can be applied inexpensively in an outpatient department. It has now become the method of choice in our hospital for the non-operative treatment of strictures of the oesophagus.