Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor with the 6th highest incidence rate. Dysphagia is a common clinical symptom, and if progressive dysphagia occurs, 60%-70% of patients have no surgical indication.
For patients without surgical indications, radical radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy is still an effective treatment. However, there are still some patients who cannot tolerate radiotherapy or refuse radiotherapy due to various reasons. For these patients, active palliative treatment measures to relieve the symptoms of esophageal obstruction and eliminate the nutritional intake obstacle caused by dysphagia are the most important treatment measures.
Among many palliative treatment methods for tumor dysphagia, esophageal stent placement is the most commonly used, and it is suitable for those who are in poor general condition, cannot tolerate radiotherapy and those who have failed radiotherapy or have distant metastasis of tumor. Esophageal stenting not only solves the serious intake obstruction caused by esophageal obstruction, but also improves the patients’ quality of life, greatly improves their nutritional needs, and improves the quality of survival, all patients can eat, gain weight significantly, and prolong their lives. Esophageal stenting is not only suitable for esophageal strictures caused by esophageal tumors, but also has very significant therapeutic effects on esophageal strictures caused by various benign diseases.
The indications for esophageal stenting are introduced as follows.
1.Esophageal stenosis caused by advanced esophageal cancer or cardia cancer cannot be treated surgically;
2.Esophageal stricture caused by chemical injury or other trauma;
3.Esophageal stenosis caused by scarring and post-radiotherapy;
4.Anastomotic stenosis after esophageal cancer surgery;
5.Recurrence of esophageal cancer after surgery;
6.Esophageal tracheal fistula, esophageal mediastinal fistula;
7.Traumatic esophageal fistula cannot be repaired by surgery immediately, as a transitional treatment;
8.Esophageal stenosis with external pressure;
9, cardia loss retardation, etc.
So, what should we pay attention to after esophageal stenting? Specifically as follows.
1. The head of the patient’s bed should be elevated 15-30° after surgery to prevent reflux.
2, after surgery should not enter cold food, such as popsicles and other cold drinks, in order to prevent the stent contraction in the cold, deformation off;
3.After 1 hour of postoperative period, enter warm liquid and semi-liquid without residue;
4, 4 hours after the operation, enter less dregs of soft food as appropriate;
5.Eating in sitting or semi-sitting position, the food can pass through the stenosis smoothly under the gravity and peristalsis of the esophagus;
6.Eating should be chewed and swallowed slowly, do not “gobble” type of food;
7.After meal, stand upright for more than 30 min and avoid physical work to reduce the chance of acid reflux;
8, avoid rough and hard food;
9, should avoid spicy, fried, coffee, strong tea and other stimulating foods and beverages to prevent increased secretion of gastric acid;
10.Regularly review gastroscopy or esophageal X-ray imaging to observe the patency of the esophagus.