ArticleCureus2026
The Impact of Endoscopic Dilatation in Post-Esophagectomy Anastomotic Stricture: Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBenign anastomotic strictures are a common complication after esophagectomy, contributing significantly to postoperative morbidity and reduced quality of life. Endoscopic dilatation is the primary treatment modality; however, a subset of patients develop refractory strictures that require repeated interventions and pose unique therapeutic challenges.
objectivesTo evaluate the clinical impact of endoscopic dilatation in patients with post-esophagectomy strictures and to identify procedural and clinical indicators associated with stricture refractoriness.
methodsThis retrospective observational study analyzed 69 patients who developed benign anastomotic strictures after esophagectomy and underwent endoscopic dilatation at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC), Lahore, Pakistan between January 2019 and December 2023. Patients were categorized as having recurrent (n = 61) or refractory strictures (n = 8) based on response to treatment. Demographics, procedural variables, and outcomes were assessed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, with statistical significance set at
resultsRefractory strictures accounted for 7(11.6%) of cases and were associated with a significantly higher number of dilatation sessions (mean 12.25 vs. 4.70;
conclusionEndoscopic dilatation is highly effective for managing recurrent post-esophagectomy strictures. However, refractory strictures represent a more aggressive phenotype, characterized by earlier onset, a poor response to initial therapy, and a greater procedural burden. Early identification through procedural indicators, combined with tailored interventional strategies including early stent placement and adjunctive therapies is essential for improving outcomes in this challenging patient subgroup.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.