Purpose:
@EN To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation in the treatment of esophageal achalasia.
@ES Materials and Methods:
@EN Under fluoroscopic guidance, 21 balloon dilation procedures were performed in 14 patients with achalasia. A balloon with a diameter of 20 mm was used for the initial attempt. If the patient tolerated this well, the procedure was repeated with
a
10-20 mm balloon, placed alongside at the same session. If, however, the patient complained of severe chest pain and/or a post procedural esophagogram showed an improvement, the additional balloon was not used. For patients whose results were
unsatisfactory, the dilation procedure was repeated at sessions three to seven days apart.
@ES Results:
@EN Succesful dilation was achieved in 13 of 14 patients(92.9%), who needed a total of 20 sessions of balloon dilation, ranging from one to three sessions per patient(mean, 1.54 sessions). Esophageal rupture occurred in one of 14 patients(7.1%);
of
the
13 patients who underwent a successful dilation procedure, 12(92.3%) were free of recurrent symptoms during the follow-up period of 1-56(mean, 18.5) months. The remaning patient(7.7%) had a recurrence seven months after dilation.
@ES Conclusion:
@EN Fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation seems to be safe and effective in the treatment of esophageal achalasia.
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