Surgical therapy of peptic stenosis of the esophagus in adults.

Abstract

One hundred and one patients with reflux esophagitis and strictures, submitted to different kinds of surgical solutions over the last 16 years, were revised. Seventy seven patients had dilatable stricture and the lower esophageal sphincter mechanism could be brought intra-abdominally in 70. In 36 there was radiographic evidence of hiatal hernia and 8 had a Barrett esophagus. The surgical technique employed in these cases was transgastric dilatation of the stricture, and Nissen fundoplication in 63 and partial fundoplication in 13 patients with peptic stricture post BI or BII6, gastroenterostomy or pyloromyotomy and vagotomy and post Heller myotomy. The post-operative mortality was 2.6% (2 in 77 patients) and morbidity 14.3%. Results after 5 years of follow-up have been classified as good to excellent in 88.3%. Six out of 9 remaining patients needed more than 3 dilatations in the first year after surgery and 3 of these were reoperated. Twenty four patients had a fixed stricture: In 22 of them, the area of esophagogastric stenosis was resected with replacement of the esophagus by colon interposition in 6, jejunum in 14, and a gastric tube with cervical anastomosis in 2. In two patients of advanced age and with respiratory problems a retrosternal by-pass with colon was performed. In this group the post-operative mortality was 12.5% (3 in 24 patients) and the morbidity 25%. The most common problems after one year of surgery were diarrhea (4 patients) and gastric fullness in 2. Eleven patients remained asymptomatic after 5 years (9 with jejunum interposition and 3 with colon) and 3 with jejunum were alive after 10 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)