Palliation of malignant esophageal obstruction and fistulas with self expandable metallic stents

Figure 1 Proximal view of a fully opened stent.

Figure 2 Palliation of tracheoesophageal fistula with stenting. A: Barium esophagogram showing a tracheo-esophageal fistula resulting from lung cancer; B: Complete occlusion of the fistula after stenting. Arrows show a large tracheoesophageal fistula.

Figure 3 In some cases with insufficient stent expansion due to tight stricture, endoscopic balloon dilatation was performed through the opened stent.

Figure 4 Comparison of oral alimentation status before and after placement of self expandable metallic stents. Figure shows the change in dysphagia score on day 3 after stenting. For the scoring system, see Materials and Methods section.

Figure 5 Kaplan-Meier survival curve of 90 patients following stenting.