White coat status is a predictive marker for post-esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection stricture: a retrospective study

Background Steroid therapy is primarily used to prevent esophageal stricture after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). However, esophageal stricture can still occur after preventive therapy, and the effect of preventive steroid therapy cannot be predicted before stricture formation. This study aimed to clarify the risk factors for esophageal stricture after preventive steroid therapy. Methods This was a retrospective study conducted at three institutions. From January 2011 to February 2018, 28 large-sized SENs in 26 patients who had a mucosal defect that involved more than three-quarters of the esophageal circumference were enrolled. We classified white coats on artificial ulcers after esophageal ESD into three groups (thin, moderately thick, thick) based on endoscopic images obtained on postoperative day 7. Results The white coat status on the artificial ulcer after ESD was a significant risk factor for post-ESD stricture ( p