BOUGIENAGE THERAPY FOR CONSTRICTIVE ESOPHAGITIS

Review of the long-term results of treatment of 68 patients with constrictive esophagitis suggests that the patients fall into three groups. One group usually responded well to metal bougienage. A second smaller group, treated with soft bougienage, yielded less satisfactory results. A third “mild” group usually required little or no instrumentation. A classification of patients with constrictive esophagitis in terms of the severity of the process is suggested for patients undergoing either conservative or surgical therapy in order to compare the results of therapy. © 1979, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. All rights reserved.