Esophageal Stricture Treatment for Cats

October 14, 2009

Bissett SA, Davis J, Subler K et al: Risk factors and outcome of bougienage for treatment of benign esophageal strictures in dogs and cats: 28 cases (1995-2004), J Am Vet Med Assoc 235:844, 2009.

Benign esophageal strictures (BES) can be a difficult problem for owners and pets as they can be costly to treat and are associated with a poor prognosis. Up to 30% of the pets affected can only be fed liquid diets long term. The most common cause of BES reportedly is gastrointestinal reflux associated with general anesthesia. Esophageal bougienage is a process of dilation of the esophagus with mechanical dilators. BES in the past has been primarily treated with balloon dilators. The goal of this study was to compare the outcomes of esophageal bougienage to balloon dilation, considering that bougienage can be a more cost effective procedure. Eight cats with BES were evaluated as part of the study. Six of the 8 cats achieved a good outcome with bougienage, defined as a tolerance of solid food with regurgitation less than once a week. Cats with BES were most likely to have a recent history of general anesthesia, vomiting, or gastrointestinal tract trichobezoars (hairballs) than cats in a reference population. In 3 cats with BES, doxycycline induced esophagitis was the suspected cause of the disorder. [VT]
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Related articles:
Glazer A, Walters P: Esophagitis and esophageal strictures., Comp Contin Edu Pract Vet 30:281, 2008.
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Leib M, Dinnel H, Ward D et al: Endoscopic balloon dilation of benign esophageal strictures in dogs and cats, J Vet Intern Med 15:547, 2001.
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