AUTOEXPANDABLE METALLIC PROSTHESES - A NE W PALLIATIVE TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT STENOTIC ESOPHAGEAL LESIONS

The treatment of malignant esophageal stenoses is a serious problem wh ich may have a surgical solution at diagnosis in only a selected numbe r of cases. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the main palliative trea tments; surgery has a high morbidity and mortality rate. The insertion of esophageal prostheses could be an alternative palliative treatment . From January 1991 to November 1993, 41 auto-expandable metallic pros theses (12 Wallstent type, 19 Strecker type and 1 Rosch-Uchida type) h ave been implanted in 30 patients with esophageal cancer one with lung cancer and two with radiation induced esophagitis. Technical success resulted in 28 patients; an initial failure requiring a new prosthesis insertion occurred in 5 patients. Technical aspects and results are a nalized.