Esophagectomy and colon interposition for benign esophageal stricture.

Esophagectomy with colon interposition for nonmalignant esophageal stricture was evaluated in 41 patients, 18 with peptic and 23 with lye stricture. Four of the 41 patients died in the postoperative period and 12 had nonfatal complications of surgery. At long-term evaluation, 25 of 31 patients complained of postural regurgitation and 9 had disturbing symptoms related to retention in the graft. The long-term clinical and radiologic results showed no deterioration from the immediate postoperative period. The complications associated with colon interposition clearly restrict indications for its use in benign conditions. Interposition should be used in peptic stricture only when other methods have failed. In chronic lye stricture, interposition is justified by the irreversible nature of the lesion and its predisposition to malignant change.