Factors affecting dilation force in balloon dilation of severe esophageal strictures: an experiment using an artificial stricture model

Background The multidiameter balloon catheter is used widely for severe esophageal stricture dilation. However, the relationships between inflation pressure, balloon size, and radial dilation force at the stricture site have not been examined fully. Methods We performed an experiment using phantom models to investigate the relationships between inflation pressure, balloon size, and radial dilation force. The balloon dilation procedure was performed for each stricture model using three sizes of balloon: 10–11–12, 12–13.5–15, and 15–16.5–18 mm. Results A positive association between inflation pressure and dilation force was observed for each balloon size. In balloons inflated by targeting the same diameter, the dilation force was higher for smaller balloons than for larger balloons. An inverse association between stricture size and dilation force was observed in the 12–13.5–15 mm balloon (3 vs 5 mm, P = .002; 5 vs 7 mm, P