title: Comparison of plastic prostheses and self-expandable metallic stents in the treatment of malignant esophageal stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We compared the efficacy of plastic prostheses and self-expandable metallic stents in the treatment of malignant esophageal stenosis and/or fistula.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were 31 patients with esophageal cancer, 4 with esophagotracheal fistula, and 1 with esophageal stenosis. A plastic prosthesis was inserted in 15 patients (group A) and a self-expandable metallic stent in 21 patients (group B). We evaluated food ingestion improvement, effectiveness, complications, mean survival, food ingestion duration, the percentage of food ingestion capability in total survival time, and inhospital mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences were seen in food intake improvement or in the effectiveness between groups, whereas fatal complications were higher in Group A. No significant differences were seen in mean survival, food ingestion duration, percentage of food ingestion capability, or inhospital mortality between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that a self-expandable metallic stent was safer than a plastic prosthesis because of fewer serious complications such as bleeding, and recommended the use of metallic stents in the treatment of malignant esophageal stenosis and/or fistula.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osaka
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moritani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koyanagi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004940:Esophageal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010969:Plastics; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D015607:Stents; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D014138:Tracheoesophageal Fistula / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics