title: Endoscopic treatment of benign and malignant strictures of the cervical esophagus and hypopharynx.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the efficacy of endoscopic techniques employed in the management of cervical esophageal and hypopharyngeal strictures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A series of 45 patients with cervical esophageal (35) and/or hypopharyngeal strictures (10) were included. Twenty-five patients (55.6%) with neoplastic strictures were treated for palliation alone. The stenosis was related to radiotherapy in 11 patients (24.4%) and to postsurgical complications in 9 (20%). A group of 23 patients was treated with dilation alone (group 1). A second group included 22 patients treated with insertion of a self-expandable stent after failure of dilation treatment (group 2). The swallowing test data, clinical notes, and surgical reports were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the patients showed some degree of relief of dysphagia. In group 1, 19 of the 23 patients required multiple dilation treatments to maintain normal deglutition. In group 2, 7 of the 22 patients recovered regular oral feeding after stent placement, 10 patients reported pain and foreign body sensation, 2 patients reported pain so severe that stent removal was required, and 3 patients experienced stent migration. All but 3 of the 25 patients with inoperable tumors died during follow-up, but no patients with benign stenosis died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The two groups showed comparable functional results. Dilation often requires multiple procedures, but is usually well tolerated. Placement of self-expandable stents is effective, but is generally less well tolerated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pagliuca
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Vincentiis
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martellucci
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iallonardi
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fanello
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cereatti
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fiocca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002404:Catheterization; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004724:Endoscopy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D004940:Esophageal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D007013:Hypopharynx; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D019233:Retreatment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents