Surgical management of esophageal strictures.

The cases of 50 consecutive patients requiring operative treatment for esophageal strictures were reviewed to evaluate results and develop principles of management. Forty-eight had gastroesophageal reflux disease and 2 had chronic lye strictures. Of the patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, 21 had a Barrett's esophagus. Esophageal dilations had been performed in 29 patients, 12 of whom also had undergone previous surgical procedures. Preoperative dilations by our group were used to determine further intervention. Patients with dilatable strictures were randomized to either a Nissen or a Belsey operation. In this group, there were no operative deaths, and excellent or good clinical results were obtained in 28 of 34 (82%) patients, with no significant differences noted in the outcomes between the two operations. Patients with undilatable strictures, Barrett's ulcer, or mucosal dysplasia underwent resection plus colon interposition (N = 12) or resection plus gastric interposition (N = 4). Two of the patients in the Nissen operation group later required resection and colon interposition, bringing that total to 14. Resection plus colon interposition resulted in excellent or good results in 71% of patients, with a 7% operative mortality. These results suggest that a standard transthoracic antireflux procedure can be performed with a low risk when strictures are dilatable. Excellent or good results were obtained in 82% of patients, which is equivalent to results for more complex operations. There was no significant difference in the outcome for the transthoracic Nissen procedure compared with the Belsey procedure. In addition, when required, resection plus colon interposition provided excellent or good results in 71% of the patients.