Repeated Bougie Dilation With Savary-Gilliard Dilators in the Treatment of Pediatric Esophageal Strictures: How Effective Is It

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Data on pediatric esophageal strictures is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of repeated bougie dilation with Savary-Gilliard dilators in the treatment of pediatric esophageal strictures caused by various etiologies METHODS: The retrospective study included patients who underwent bougie dilation with Savary-Gilliard dilators due to esophageal strictures between January 2012 and July 2018. Demographic and clinical characteristics including age, gender, stricture length, etiology and localization, mean diameter of endoscopic dilators, mean number of endoscopies, and long-term outcomes and complications were reviewed for each patient. RESULTS: The 25 patients comprised 15 (60%) boys and 10 (40%) girls with a median age of 24 (range, 5-132) months. Dysphagia was the only presenting symptom in all the patients. The most common etiology was primary repair of esophageal atresia (n=18; 72%). Mean dilator diameter was 11,4±2,32 (range, 5-15) mm and the mean number of endoscopies performed was 2,2 (range, 1-7) per patient. The mean length of the narrow esophageal segment was 15,84±7,97 (range, 5-32) mm. The complaints were completely resolved in 21 (84%) patients over a one-year follow-up period. No complication occurred in any patient. DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION: Endoscopic bougie dilation is an ideal treatment method for pediatric esophageal strictures. Repeated bougie dilation with Savary-Gilliard dilators is a simple, practical, cost-effective,and effective technique. © 2019, Galenos Yayincilik,. All rights reserved.