The Evaluation of Endoscopic Balloon Dilation Treatment for Benign Gastric Outlet Obstruction

Background and Objective Balloon dilatation of stricture is one of the new treatment methods for patients with Gastric Outlet Obstruction (GOO). Prevalence and underlying etiologies of GOO in various populations are different. The goal of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of endoscopic balloon dilatation and factors that could affect method advantage among patients with benign etiology for GOO. Methods Forty-five patients with symptoms of benign GOO were randomly selected. The mean age of patients was 43.7±18.1 years and 86.7% of them were men. Gastric outlet was delineated using double channel videoendoscopy. The severity of gastric pain was measured by VAS test immediately before and one month after balloon dilatation. Patients were followed after procedure weekly (for the first month) and then monthly. Balloon dilatation was repeated for 27% patients during the follow up period. Results Patients were followed for 9.9±5.8 months. Furthermore, 71.1% were H. pylori positive. Positive response percent to endoscopic balloon dilatation was 80% and eight patients were took under surgical resection. Weight loss was seen frequently in the non-respondent group. The pain severity was significantly reduced in respondent subjects. No meaningful correlations were found between the response to balloon dilatation and positive H. pylori and cigarette smoking. Conclusion Endoscopic balloon dilatation is a safe and effective method for treating most of patients with benign gastric outlet obstruction and has favorable long-term outcome.