Self-dilatation of oesophageal strictures

Article Abstract:

Alterations (particularly narrowing) in the diameter of the esophagus induced by mechanical damage, drugs, radiation, disease, or other causes can result in difficulty swallowing. Treatment of esophageal strictures is ordinarily done by anterograde dilatation, a procedure in which an inflatable balloon-like device is passed through the esophagus to a point beyond the stricture, inflated, and withdrawn, causing the narrowed point to widen. Depending on the nature of the damage, it may be desirable to apply medication (such as a steroid cream) to the area of the stricture. A new technique is reported in which the patient is provided with a type of esophageal balloon catheter with which he or she can carry out the esophageal dilatation without the assistance of medical personnel. The device consists of a syringe attached to a flexible balloon-tipped catheter; the balloon portion of the device is lubricated (either with inactive or medicated lubricant), inserted into the esophagus, inflated, and withdrawn. The use of this device by three patients (a 16-year old girl with esophageal damage induced by a drug tablet, a 15-year-old asthmatic boy, and a 63-year-old man) is described. In all three cases, the patients were able to self-administer the treatment at home to relieve symptoms of esophageal stricture. It is suggested that this technique is of value in cases where stricturing results from corrosive- or tablet-induced damage, or from a chronic underlying disease that is difficult to control other than by treating the symptoms. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Esophagus, Stenosis

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Asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis: clinical features, prognosis, and symptom progression in a large population based cohort

Article Abstract:

The features and progression of initially asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) patients are discussed. Nearly 20 percent of initially asymptomatic patients died of liver disease or required liver transplantation.

Science & research, Research, Prognosis, Liver, Liver transplantation, Biliary cirrhosis

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