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Stanford Health Care

Types of Dilation and Stenting

Our Approach to Dilation and Stenting

Dilation and stenting can help free you from the discomfort and worry that esophageal strictures (narrowing) cause. This minimally invasive treatment gently widens your esophagus and, if necessary, keeps it open using a thin, flexible mesh tube called a stent.

Our skilled doctors have specialized knowledge in performing advanced techniques, like pneumatic dilation therapy, that are not offered by other health care centers. A team of gastrointestinal specialists will work with you to find an effective treatment solution that meets your specific needs and treatment goals.

What We Offer You for Dilation and Stenting

  • Unmatched experience from doctors who have performed thousands of dilation procedures, allowing us to quickly and effectively relieve symptoms.
  • Expert care from board-certified doctors, many of whom have received advanced training in specialized treatments like dilation and stenting.
  • Progressive treatment, including pneumatic dilation therapy, which is not routinely offered in other health care centers in the San Francisco Bay Area. 
  • The latest technology, including endoscopes with advanced image processing capabilities that help our doctors deliver more precise results when performing your treatment.
  • Team-based treatment planning that brings together many gastrointestinal specialists to tailor treatment to your specific needs.

Interested in an Online Second Opinion?

The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely, and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!

Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.

What Is Dilation and Stenting?

Types of Dilation

At Stanford, we specialize in several types of dilation for the treatment of esophageal strictures (narrowing). Our skilled doctors offer specialized treatments, such as pneumatic dilation, that are not routinely offered elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Balloon dilation

This technique uses special expandable balloons to gently dilate esophageal strictures. During this treatment, your doctor guides an endoscope down your esophagus. Then, he or she uses a guidance system to advance a special deflated balloon to the area of your esophagus that is narrowed.

When the balloon is in the correct location, the doctor fills it with a certain amount of air to gently stretch the esophageal stricture and widen your esophagus. 

Bougie dilation

Bougie dilation is an approach to widening esophageal strictures. During this procedure, your doctor uses a thin plastic tube (bougie) along with an endoscope to widen your esophagus.

Your doctor will first guide an endoscope down your esophagus. After advancing a guidewire from the endoscope beyond the stricture, the doctor removes the endoscope. Your doctor then advances the bougie over the guidewire down your esophagus to the stricture. The doctor uses several bougies, each larger than the last, in the procedure to widen the stricture slowly and in a carefully controlled manner. 

Pneumatic dilation

For some people with achalasia and other less common conditions, we perform balloon dilatation with a larger balloon to widen exceptionally refractory, or unresponsive, esophageal strictures. Thanks to our team’s advanced training, Stanford is one of the few centers to offer this therapy on the West Coast.

Our Clinics

Esophagus Center

Our clinic offers complete access to doctors with decades of experience treating esophageal disorders. We use the latest technology to diagnose and treat esophageal conditions and work in partnership with you to plan effective, long-lasting treatment for esophageal strictures (narrowing).

Esophagus Center
420 Broadway
 Pavilion D Fl 2
 Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: 650-736-5555 Getting Here
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