Muscular Injury Is a Risk Factor for Post-Entire Circumferential Esophageal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection Stricture

Introduction: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become a widely adopted treatment for early esophageal cancer. However, extensive mucosal defects resulting from ESD pose a significant risk of post-procedural strictures. Despite efforts to prevent strictures through various means, including steroid administration, they remain a challenge, significantly impacting patients' quality of life and healthcare costs. Thus, identifying risk factors for refractory strictures following entire circumferential esophageal ESD (EC-E-ESD) is imperative. Methods: Between July 2013 and September 2023, 49 patients who underwent EC-E-ESD were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were classified based on the presence of refractory or non-refractory strictures. A refractory stricture was defined as requiring six or more endoscopic balloon dilation procedures before stricture improvement. Clinicopathological features and outcomes were examined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Refractory strictures were observed in 51% of patients. A comparison showed that the refractory group had a significantly higher percentage of muscular injury (52% vs. 8%, p = 0.002) and mucosal defect length >= 50 mm (68% vs. 37%, p = 0.047) than the non-refractory group. Multivariate analysis showed that muscular injury (odds ratio 16.2; 95% confidence interval: 2.04-129.1) was an independent risk factor for refractory strictures after EC-E-ESD. Conclusions: Muscular injury during EC-E-ESD is a risk factor for refractory strictures. Strategies to prevent injury, such as meticulous dissection techniques and effective steroid administration, may mitigate this risk. However, current prophylactic measures are inadequate, highlighting the need for further research into preventive strategies. (c) 2025 The Author(s).Published by S. Karger AG, Basel