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ABSTRACT We present a case of intractable dysphagia in a 23-year-old female with type 1 esophageal atresia (EA) and subsequent postsurgical refractory esophageal strictures. The patient was referred due to increasing symptomatology and a slight response to balloon dilations. A biodegradable polydioxanone stent (ELLA) was placed, but this did not relieve the dysphagia. After the sequential placement of two siliconated polypropylene stents (Polyflex(tm), Boston Scientifics), the dysphagia was definitively relieved. To our knowledge, this is the first published case with a full resolution of dysphagia using this strategy in an adult patient.

ABSTRACT Background and aims: endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the Western setting remains a challenge. Therefore, other simplified techniques such as knife-assisted snare resection (KAR) have been reported to overcome this issue. Methods: patients who underwent an ESD for the treatment of gastrointestinal neoplasms were included in a retrospective cross-sectional observational study. Factors associated with the end of ESD as a salvage p-KAR were identified and a logistic regression model was developed. Results: a total of 136 lesions in 133 patients were analyzed. Operator experience of under 50 cases and the combination of lesion size > 30 mm and colorectal location were independent predictive factors for switching to a salvage p-KAR according to the multivariate logistic regression analysis. We developed a risk scoring system based on these four variables (experience, size, location and the combination of size and location) with a receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.74-0.89). The diagnostic accuracy of the score for a cut-off point ≥ 5 had a sensitivity of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.66-0.93) and a specificity of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.61-0.80). Conclusion: a simple predictive score system that includes four preoperative factors accurately predicts ESD to finish as a p-KAR. A careful selection of cases considering these variables could be useful to achieve better outcomes in the Western setting.

Subepithelial gastric tumours comprise a heterogeneous group of lesions. Endoscopic ultrasonography with fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is a useful approach but cannot always offer a definitive diagnosis to guide future therapeutic decisions. In the case we describe, biopsy samples of an antral subepithelial lesion and cytological analysis obtained with an EUS-FNA suggested the diagnosis of an adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) allowed en bloc resection of the tumour ensuring diagnosis and providing a definitive treatment.

The endoscopic treatment of early gastrointestinal neoplasms usually involves the resection of the superficial layers, mucosa and submucosa, of the wall. However, in some circumstances, a full-thickness resection may be necessary. Endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) may be an adequate approach in challenging lesions such as adenomas or early cancers with severe submucosal fibrosis or small sub-epithelial lesions in the lower GI tract. Furthermore, this novel technique has the potential to spare surgical therapy in a subset of cases. In this paper, we describe our results with the full-thickness resection device (FTRD) in three different situations.