A designed ladder-shaped stent for the treatment of refractory hypopharyngeal corrosive strictures.

Background: The treatment of refractory hypopharyngeal corrosive strictures remains challenging nowadays.

Objectives: To introduce a designed ladder-shaped stent for the treatment of refractory hypopharyngeal corrosive strictures.

Material And Methods: Patients with refractory hypopharyngeal corrosive strictures treated in our hospital between 2018 to 2022 were recruited in this study. All the patients had a dysphasia score of 4 and four patients had a tracheostomy preoperatively. A designed ladder-shaped stent was placed in the hypopharyngeal area after laser treatment to maintain the opening. This stent was kept for 3-6 months. All the patients were followed-up for at least 6 months after stent removal.

Results: Six patients were recruited including two males, three females and one girl. All the patients were tolerable with the stent. There were no immediate or long-term complications. Patients were able to swallow a soft diet after the procedure. No tracheostomy was needed.

Conclusion: This use of a ladder-shaped stent is helpful in the treatment of hypopharyngeal strictures after laser treatment.