BACKGROUND: Cure of patients with esophageal cancer has remained rare over the past four decades. The overall five-year survival rate for squamous cell and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus currently is reported as 12% in whites and 8% in blacks. The five-year survival rate for localized disease at initial staging is only 26% for whites and 13% for blacks. With regional involvement, these rates a...

Placement of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) has been demonstrated to be a safe palliative procedure for patients with inoperable esophageal cancer and dysphagia [1,2]. When deployed distally from the stricture, most SEMSs can be repositioned endoscopically by pulling the lasso attached to the proximal end of the SEMS. However, if the deployment of the SEMS is completely proximal from t...

Esophageal stenosis is a relatively uncommon condition in pediatrics and requires an accurate diagnostic approach. Here we report the case of a 9-month old female infant who presented intermittent vomiting, dysphagia and refusal of solid foods starting after weaning. She was treated for gastroesophageal reflux. At first, radiological investigation suggested achalasia, while esophagoscopy revela...

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) is the most common surgical procedure for the surgical management of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication (LTF) has been reported to have a lower prevalence of postoperative complications yet still obtain a similar level of reflux control. We conducted a meta-analysis to confirm the value of LNF and LTF. ...

Plummer-Vinson syndrome (PVS) is a rare entity characterized by upper esophageal webs and iron deficiency anemia. We report a case of PVS whose esophageal web was rapidly improved by iron therapy. A 77-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with complaints of dysphagia, vomiting, shortness of breath and weight loss for 1 month. Physical examination revealed conjunctival pallor, koilonychia...

Plummer-Vinson syndrome (PVS), a rare clinical condition, is characterized by a triad of dysphagia, iron deficiency anemia and esophageal web in the post-cricoid region. It was first described over a century ago. However, literature on this condition remains scanty, and its prevalence appears to be declining worldwide, possibly due to improvements in nutrition over time. The condition has been ...

Plummer-Vinson syndrome presents as a classical triad of dysphagia, iron deficiency anemia and upper esophageal web(s). The syndrome usually occurs in adults, and is rare in childhood. We report a case of this syndrome occurring in a 15-year-old boy. He presented with dysphagia and anemia. Radiological examination showed the presence of webs at the cervical esophagus. The boy was treated with e...

Esophageal stenting has been shown to be a convenient and long-lasting method of palliation for malignant dysphagia.1 Use of covered self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) and, more recently, self-expandable plastic stents (SEPS)2 has led to increased success rate in the palliative treatment of malignant strictures of the esophagus. Experience with SEPS is scant. We report our experience with the ...

HYPOTHESIS Prosthetic crural closure does not adversely influence esophageal body motility. In most patients, postoperative increased dysphagia resolves spontaneously during the first months after surgery. DESIGN Prospective randomized trial. We compared patients who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with simple sutured hiatal closure and those who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fun...