What is a stenosis?
A stenosis is the narrowing of diameter of any portion of the digestive system that causes difficulty in food’s flow.
What are the causes of stenosis?
The main factors that cause stenosis are inflammation or retraction of an area of the surface of the inside of the digestive system, for example, as a result of extended periods of gastric reflux, prolonged use of nasogastric catheter, ingestion of caustic chemicals, or previous surgeries.
A diagnostic endoscopy allows us to identify and resolve a stenosis at any level of the digestive system without the need of surgery.
How are digestive stenosis treated?
One of the treaties for symptomatic stenosis is the endoscopic dilation with the use of polyethylene balloons. The balloons are introduced in the work channel of the scope and placed in the location of the narrowing, with the objective of increasing the area of flow.
The advantages of endoscopic dilation with balloons comes from the ability to adapt to the anatomy of the stenosis, allowing for a more uniform distribution of force that is applied radially to the narrowing. The balloon has an oval shape, and it’s filled with fluid once it’s placed directly in the center of the stenosis.
How effective is the treatment?
In general, the treatment is effective if it allows the endoscope to pass from one side of the narrow section to the other. Patients may require more than one session, which may be repeated until the symptoms disappear. Normally, 2 or 3 sessions are required, with a few days in between if the obstruction is acute or sudden, or separated by a few weeks if the occlusion is chronic.
What are the complications involved?
The most notable are perforation (0.4% of cases) and hemorrhage, which normally stops spontaneously. If necessary, the balloon can be used to exert pressure. We have the necessary equipment and add-ons to resolve any of the above mentioned complications. These include:
- Hemoclips
- Coagulation with argon plasma
- OVESCO clips