Endoscopic incision for treatment of benign gastrointestinal strictures

Introduction: Benign gastrointestinal strictures are common, and can be congenital or acquired (anastomotic, corrosive, induced by Crohn's disease or endoscopic treatments, etc.). Patients usually present with stricture-related symptoms such as vomiting, dysphagia, dyschezia, abdominal pain, which impair their quality of life. Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is the first-line treatment for most of the benign strictures; however, long-term efficacy is suboptimal, and the recurrence rate can be up to 38%. Endoscopic incision (EI) was firstly reported for treatment of congenital membranous stricture, and then applied to other benign gastrointestinal strictures. Area covered: In the present review, we provided a comprehensive review of EI for the treatment of benign gastrointestinal strictures, mainly focus on the technical details, indication, safety, and efficacy of EI. The present review is expected to provide tips for operators who are going to perform EI. Expert opinion: EI can serve as an alternative method for treatment of gastrointestinal strictures, the best indications are congenital membranous stricture and short-segmental (<1 cm) anastomotic strictures refractory to EBD. EI may also be attempted for strictures induced by other reasons. Combination with other endoscopic methods such as EBD, local steroid injection, stent placement, may improve the efficacy of EI.