Bougienage is effective therapy for most benign esophageal strictures

Esophageal stricture is the most frequent serious complication of reflux esophagitis. Bougienage was used as the primary therapy of benign esophageal stricture in 92 patients, followed by institution of a medical antireflux program. Response to treatment was excellent, and 78% of patients required two or fewer subsequent dilations. Twenty patients were followed up for two years or longer, and 75% did not require more than one dilation annually. Primary therapy for most patients with peptic stenosis of the esophagus is recommended to be dilation; operative therapy should be reserved for those patients in whom a malignant neoplasm is suspected or those in whom frequent and rapid stricture recurrence makes medical therapy impractical.