The future of esophageal endoprosthetics including the use of biodegradable materials

Endoscopic esophageal stent placement is an effective palliative treatment for malignant dysphagia and complications related to esophageal malignancies. Lately, esophageal stents have also been successfully used for benign indications including anastomotic stricture, iatrogenic perforation or leak, achalasia, fistula and to stabilize patients with esophageal variceal bleeding. At present, there are a wide variety of esophageal stents available to choose from; however, an ideal esophageal stent, which is both effective and without complications, has yet to be developed. Despite the evolution in this field, challenges such as stent migration, malignant tissue ingrowth, and recurrent stricture are some of the unsolved problems. In this article, we discuss about currently available esophageal stents including biodegradable stents, various stent materials, stent designs, indications for esophageal stent placement in treating both benign and malignant esophageal diseases, clinical outcomes, complications, novel esophageal stents including drug fiber coated stents, dynamic esophageal stents, and the future direction of esophageal endoprosthetics.