Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated that esophageal stent is made of biodegradable materials and polymers, and satisfactory outcomes regarding its application in animal experiments have been made, but disputation exists.
OBJECTIVE: To review the type, clinical application and related complications of esophageal stent.
METHODS: Using “esophageal stent, clinical application, complications” in English and Chinese, manuscripts were retrieved by reading titles and abstracts. The manuscripts that are focused on the type, clinical application, and complications of esophageal stent as well as its application in malignant esophageal stenosis and the manuscripts that were recently published or in high-impact journals were selected. Finally, 28 manuscripts were included.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Esophageal stent placement has become an important mean for esophageal carcinoma in patients who had no surgical conditions to relieve esophageal stenosis. With the development in technique, from initial membrane-free metallic stent, partial membrane-covered metallic stent to whole membrane-covered metallic stent, related esophageal diseases have been effectively solved, but the subsequent complications, such as gastrorrhagia and perforation, gastroesophageal reflux, and re-stenosis, have been not completely solved. Therefore, the therapeutic effects of different stents and the advantages and disadvantages of complications should be fully considered to reduce the complications to a largest extent and finally to improve patient’s quality of life.