REFRACTORY BENIGN ESOPHAGEAL STRICTURES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ENDOSCOPIC THERAPY.
Aléxia Bezerra de Mendonça Belarmino, José Jota Moura Neto, Helena Aben-Athar Ponte et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review evaluated endoscopic therapies for refractory benign esophageal strictures (RBES) across 18 studies involving 473 patients. The overall technical success rate was 84.1%, while clinical success was 58.1%. Anastomotic strictures had a technical success rate of 89.4% but a lower clinical success rate of 53.8%, indicating a worse prognosis compared to nonanastomotic strictures.
Key findings
- Overall technical success rate for endoscopic therapies was 84.1%.
- Clinical success rate was 58.1%, indicating limited long-term outcomes.
- Anastomotic strictures had a complication rate of 33.2%, compared to 11.3% for nonanastomotic strictures.
- The most common definition of refractoriness involved failure to achieve a diameter of 14 mm to 15 mm after multiple dilations.
Why it matters
Understanding the efficacy of various endoscopic therapies for RBES is crucial for clinicians managing patients with these challenging strictures. The differences in outcomes based on stricture etiology can inform treatment decisions and patient counseling.
What to keep in mind
The review highlights significant heterogeneity in definitions of refractoriness across studies, which complicates comparisons and interpretations.