Esophageal dilation or oesophageal dilatation (British English) is a therapeutic endoscopic procedure that enlarges the lumen of the esophagus.

Indications

It can be used to treat a number of medical conditions that result in narrowing of the esophageal lumen, or decrease motility in the distal esophagus. These include the following: *

Peptic stricture A benign esophageal stricture, or peptic stricture, is a narrowing or tightening of the esophagus that causes swallowing difficulties. Signs and symptoms Symptoms of esophageal strictures include heartburn, bitter or acid taste in the mouth, chok ...

* Eosinophilic esophagitis * Schatzki rings * Achalasia * Scleroderma esophagus * Rarely

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voice ...

Types of dilators

There are three major classes of dilators: * Mercury-weighted bougies have blindly inserted bougies placed into the esophagus by the treating physician. They are passed in sequentially increasing sizes to dilate the obstructed area. They must be used with precaution in patients with narrow strictures, as they may curl proximal to the obstruction. * Bougie over guidewire dilators are used at the time of gastroscopy or fluoroscopy. An endoscopy is usually performed first to evaluate the anatomy, and a guidewire is passed into the stomach past the obstruction. This may also be done fluoroscopically. Bougies are again introduced—this time over the guidewire—in sequentially increasing sizes. * Pneumatic dilatation or balloon dilatation is also typically done at the time of endoscopy or fluoroscopy. A balloon is inserted in the deflated form into the area of narrowing. It is then inflated with air to a certain pressure that is pre-set for a given circumference.

Complications

Complications of esophageal dilatation include the following: * Odynophagia, or painful swallowing * Hematemesis, or bloody vomit *

Esophageal perforation Esophageal rupture is a rupture of the esophagus, esophageal wall. Iatrogenic causes account for approximately 56% of esophageal perforations, usually due to medical instrumentation such as an endoscopy or paraesophageal surgery. In contrast, the ...

* Mediastinitis

References

Digestive system procedures Endoscopy {{Digestive system procedures