Self-expanding endoprostheses in concomitant esophageal and pre-pyloric malignancies

Abstract

Self-expanding endoprostheses are well established and minimally invasive devices used to re-establish patency of the gastrointestinal tract. Before their development, patency could only be re-established through palliative surgery, a procedure that though still the gold standard, caries significant risk and increases morbidity and mortality rates. Management of localized tumors with multiple prostheses is still rarely reported in the literature. We report a 92-year-old women with anemia of unknown origin and progressive dysphagia. Endoscopy revealed an infiltrative lesion of the esophagus along with ulcerated vegetative lesions of gastric body and antrum. Gastric hemorrhage was endoscopically controlled. The family initially agreed with the introduction of a self-expanding prosthesis in the esophagus alone. On re-evaluation one month later the possibility of gastric obstruction was discussed and the introduction of a pre-pyloric endoprosthesis was agreed upon. Significant improvement in life quality was observed in the last nine months of survival following introduction of the second prosthesis.