Esophageal stricture treatment

An esophageal stricture is a narrowing of the esophagus (throat). It affects your ability to swallow foods and liquids because it makes them move more slowly into the stomach. People who have a narrow esophagus need to eat slowly to allow time for food they’ve already swallowed to move into the stomach and leave room in the throat for more.

Strictures are rare. When they happen, they’re more likely to affect people who are older than 40.

Esophageal stricture symptoms

• Chest pain or pressure
• Feeling of something stuck in your chest after eating
• Frequent burping or hiccups
• Heartburn
• Pain with swallowing
• Regurgitation of food (when food comes back up into your throat or mouth)
• Trouble swallowing
• Unintentional weight loss

Seek help if you have these symptoms. If esophageal narrowing isn’t treated, complications such as these may develop:

• Esophagus contents getting into the lungs due to regurgitation (causing aspiration pneumonia)
• Food getting stuck in the esophagus causing choking or difficulty breathing
• Hole in the esophagus (can be life-threatening)
• Not getting enough food or liquids leading to dehydration or malnutrition

Esophageal stricture causes

The main causes of esophageal strictures are digestive disorders like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). When acid from the stomach regularly backs up into the bottom of the esophagus (throat) it causes damage to the lining and may lead to a narrowed esophagus.

Other causes of esophageal stricture are:

• Eosinophilic esophagitis – an allergic condition that causes inflammation
• History of radiation treatment of your chest or neck
• Injuries caused by an endoscope
• Long-term use of medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or tetracycline antibiotics
• Previous treatment of esophageal varices (enlarged veins in the esophagus)
• Swallowing harmful substances or objects such as household cleaners or disc batteries

Esophageal stricture may be a symptom of cancer. These strictures develop more quickly than benign esophageal strictures. Early treatment is vital.

Diagnosing esophageal stricture

If your doctor determines that you may have an esophageal stricture, they may order a barium swallow test.

You’ll be asked to drink a solution that has barium in it and then have X-rays taken of your throat. The solution temporarily coats the lining of your throat and the images taken show the size of your throat.

If you have narrowing of the esophagus, the top part of your throat will often appear to be stretched out because the liquid will be stuck there as it passes slowly through the narrow part into your stomach.

In an upper GI endoscopy, the doctor guides a thin, flexible tube into your throat. It’ll have a camera attached so they can view the tissues. Sometimes ultrasound is used along with the camera to provide clearer images and aid in finding areas from which to take tissue samples (biopsies).

To test for gastroesophageal reflux disease, you may have a tube inserted into your esophagus to monitor the pH level in your throat. Monitoring the pH level shows whether there is stomach acid present in the throat.

Treatments for esophageal stricture

Esophageal strictures are often treated with esophageal dilation to widen the area. An endoscope is used to place the dilator at the desired spot. Steroids may be injected at the same time to reduce inflammation and prevent the stricture from recurring.

Surgery is rarely used for noncancerous (benign) esophageal strictures. When cancer is present, surgery may be recommended to remove the cancerous tissue.