2001 Volume 43 Issue 9 Pages 1828-1833
Recently large number of patients with mucosal cancer of the esophagus have been treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) with excellent results. At the same time, frequent esophageal stricture limited the mucosal defect after EMR to 3/4 the circumference. A circumferential and long segmental EMR was carried out for a 60-year-old man who had a superficial and spreading mucosal cancer. A self expandable metallic stent (EMS: covered type) was applied on the circumferential mucosal defect with axial dimension 12 cm immediately after the EMR, for prevention of esophageal stricture. He could take soft meals in five days and was discharged 21 days after EMR. The EMS was removed seven weeks after EMR. Two narrow segmental strictures were developed after 12 days and they were successfully dilated by repeated bougienages. These results strongly suggested that circumferential mucosal cancer of the esophagus could be treated with EMR by using EMS right after EMR.
