Introduction Esophageal strictures are classified by nature as benign strictures or malignant strictures. Any cause of esophageal stricture causes difficulty in swallowing. For a long time, there is no better way to treat inoperable patients than palliative treatment with intravenous nutrition and fistula, and patients often experience great pain and a serious loss of quality of life. Interventional therapy offers a new approach to clinical practice, with balloon dilation and stenting as the main tools, both of which are performed through the normal physiologic lumen with less trauma to the patient. Advantages Balloon dilation and stenting allow patients to resume eating immediately after treatment, improving quality of life and survival rates. Both interventions are easy to perform, easy to master, accurate positioning, high success rate and rapid procedure. The patient’s pain is minimal, and the whole procedure is usually only about 30 min. Clinical application Balloon dilation or temporary stenting is feasible for benign stenosis caused by chemical burns, reflux esophagitis, post-radiotherapy, post-surgery, trauma or foreign body-induced injury, and cardia incontinentia. For stenosis caused by benign and malignant esophageal tumors and mediastinal tumors compressing the esophagus, permanent stenting is suitable.