title: Safety and outcome using endoscopic dilatation for benign esophageal stricture without fluoroscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the use of Savary-Gilliard marked dilators in tight esophageal strictures without fluoroscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two patients with significant dysphagia from benign strictures due to a variety of causes were dilated endoscopically. Patients with achalasia, malignant lesions or external compression were excluded. The procedure consisted of two parts. First, a guide wire was placed through video endoscopy and then dilatation was performed without fluoroscopy. In general, "the rule of three" was followed. Effective treatment was defined as the ability of patients, with or without repeated dilatations, to maintain a solid or semisolid diet for more than 12 mo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six hundred and sixty two dilatations in a total of 72 patients were carried out. The success rate for placement of a guide wire was 100% and for dilatation 97%, without use of fluoroscopy, after 6 mo to 4 years of follow-up. The number of sessions per patient was between 1 and 7, with an average of 2 sessions. The ability of patients, after 1 or more sessions of dilatation, to maintain a solid or semisolid diet for more than 12 mo was obtained in 70 patients (95.8%). For very tight esophageal strictures, all patients improved clinically without complications after the endoscopic procedure without fluoroscopy, but we noted 3 failures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dilatation using Savary-Gilliard dilators without fluoroscopy is safe and effective in the treatment of very tight esophageal strictures if performed with care.
authors.affiliation: Nawal Kabbaj, Mouna Salihoun, Zakia Chaoui, Mohammed Acharki, Naima Amrani, EFD-Hepatogastroenterology Unit, Mohammed 5 Souissi University, Ibn Sina Hospital, Rabat 10000, Morocco.
authors.forename: Nawal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kabbaj
authors.forename: Mouna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salihoun
authors.forename: Zakia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chaoui
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Acharki
authors.forename: Naïma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amrani