title: Radiographic appearance of the esophagus and stomach after laser treatment of obstructing carcinoma.
abstract: Nd:YAG laser therapy is an attractive palliative treatment for carcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia. Twenty-five patients with these tumors underwent laser therapy over a 2-year period, receiving a total of 52 courses of therapy with 189 treatments. Treatments per course averaged 3.6, with a mean of two courses per patient. Luminal diameter is increased with this method; symptomatic improvement in dysphagia occurred in all patients after one course of therapy. Radiographic improvement also is seen. The complication rate in this series was four (2.1%) of 189 procedures, consisting of one perforation, one tracheoesophageal fistula, one pneumopericardium, and one pneumoperitoneum without leak.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery