Abstract
For benign stricture following anastomosis between the cervical esophagus and gastrointestinal tract, balloon dilation only (5 patients) was compared to balloon dilation combined with the Celestin Dilator (6 patients) for therapeutic results. The effect of the dilation was evaluated by the ratio of the balloon diameter at the stenotic region to the maximum balloon diameter in the nonstenotic region as determined by injecting 20 ml of 30% urograffin into a balloon dilator that was 20 mm in external diameter and 8 cm in length. Even when balloon dilation was frequently repeated, the ratio remained at 59 ± 8 (Mean ± SD)%, but after combination with the Celestin Dilator the ratio was 93 ± 12% (p<0.01 vs. balloon dilation only). It is hence suggested that the combined use of the Celestin Dilator might contribute to a reduction in the number of dilation procedures and the time necessary to achieve improvement.
