Self-Expanding Stents for Benign Esophageal Perforation

Stents were effective, but which type to use remains unclear.

Surgical repair has long been the mainstay of care for nonmalignant esophageal perforations. For more than a decade, self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) have also been used in many patients with malignant esophageal disease. Recent guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology have endorsed the use of SEMS as initial nonsurgical treatment of esophageal perforations and anastomotic leaks in highly selected patients (JW Gastroenterol Apr 16 2010).

In a new, prospective, single-center study from the Netherlands, 33 patients received self-expanding stents (90% were made of metal; 10% were made of plastic) for benign esophageal perforation. Perforations were iatrogenic (19 patients), caused by Boerhaave syndrome (10), or arose from othe…

Reviewing Author

David A. Johnson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory boardMedscape/WebMD; Pfizer; CRH Medical Corporation; Aries

EquityCRH Medical Corporation

Editorial boardsMedscape Gastroenterology

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Gastroenterology Research Institute Board of Directors

David A. Johnson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory boardMedscape/WebMD; Pfizer; CRH Medical Corporation; Aries

EquityCRH Medical Corporation

Editorial boardsMedscape Gastroenterology

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Gastroenterology Research Institute Board of Directors