The patient was a 78-year-old female who had ingested an acidic detergent (Sunpole™) with suicidal intent. She underwent partial gastrectomy and enterostomy to treat perforations in the gastric remnant (from previous cancer surgery) . She was successfully treated in an intensive care unit, but later she developed esophageal stricture due to corrosive esophagitis and was transferred to our hospital. Mucosal damage was discovered in the esophagus beginning at the cervical region. Her medical history included, along with stomach cancer, a total laryngectomy. These observations suggested that esophageal reconstruction would require invasive and complicated surgery that would involve intestinal tissues. We also considered her advanced age and illiteracy, and decided to use conservative esophageal dilation. During six dilation sessions within half a year, her oral food intake increased gradually. Here, we detail this successful dilation procedure for corrosive esophageal stricture.
