Covered Self-Expandable Metallic Stents Could be Used Successfully in the Palliation of Malignant Cervical Esophageal Strictures: Preliminary Report

Abstract

Purpose: To present the authors' preliminary experience with covered self-expandable metallic stents in the palliation of malignant cervical esophageal strictures. Methods: Covered self-expandable metallic stents were placed into the cervical esophagus of 6 patients with malignant cervical esophageal strictures under fluoroscopic guidance. Results: Stent placement was technically successful in all patients, and the mean dysphagia score decreased from 3.3 to 0.5 according to the Ogilvie Dysphagia Scoring. Two patients complained of chest pain, which lasted for 24 to 48 hours. Foreign body sensation disappeared spontaneously within a week in all patients, but one. Migration, dysphagia, or obstruction was not observed in any of the patients during the follow-up period (47 d to 8 mo). Conclusions: According to our limited number of cases, placement of covered self-expandable metallic stents into the cervical esophagus can be performed safely, and significant improvement of dysphagia scores and life quality of patients can be obtained instantly after the procedure.