A randomized comparison of electrocautery incision with Savary bougienage for relief of anastomotic gastroesophageal strictures

BackgroundBenign gastroesophageal anastomotic strictures are common and often refractory to treatment. Various endoscopic dilation techniques have been reported, but none of these methods has been proven to be superior.ObjectiveComparison of the efficacy and safety of dilation of previously untreated anastomotic strictures by using electrocautery incision (EI) and Savary bougienage (SB).DesignRandomized, prospective study.SettingMulticenter study.PatientsSixty-two patients with an anastomotic stricture after esophagogastrostomy and dysphagia Atkinson grades II to IV were included.InterventionsPatients were treated with EI or SB.Main Outcome MeasurementsObjective and subjective results were compared with baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months after the first treatment. Complications of both treatments were noted. Primary endpoints after 6 months were the mean number of dilation sessions and success rate (percentage of patients with ≤5 dilations in 6 months). Study participation ended after 6 months or if dysphagia grades II to IV recurred despite 5 treatment sessions.ResultsNo complications occurred with both treatments. There was no significant difference between the EI and SB groups in the mean number of dilations (2.9; 95% CI, 2.7-4.1 vs 3.3; 95% CI, 2.3-3.6l; P = .46) or the success rate (80.6% vs 67.7%, P = .26 and 96.2% vs 80.8%, P = .19).LimitationsIn a small study with negative primary endpoints, secondary endpoints and subgroup analyses are hypothesis generating only.ConclusionsThis prospective trial demonstrated that EI of gastroesophageal anastomotic strictures is a safe therapy and equivalent to SB as a primary therapy. EI can be used as an alternative or additional therapy to SB. (Registered with Current Controlled Trials, Ltd, registration number ISRCTN81239664.)