Esophageal dilation is a minimally invasive procedure used to open a narrowed section of the esophagus. An endoscope (a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera attached to it) is passed through your mouth and esophagus. During the endoscopy, a device is passed through the endoscope into the esophagus to stretch the restrictive muscles.

Dilation may be performed with one of these devices:

• Pneumatic (balloon) dilator: A balloon is passed through the endoscope and inflated to open the esophageal stricture.
• Guided wire dilator: A tube that’s wider on one end is fed down a thin wire into the esophagus to widen the narrowed portion.
• Bougie: A series of progressively larger bougies (weighted tubes) are inserted into the narrowed area in your esophagus to dilate it.

You will be given medication to relax you and may receive a local anesthetic to numb your throat. The procedure will take about 15 minutes.

Conditions this treatment is offered for:

• Achalasia
• Esophageal stricture
• Eosinophilic esophagitis
• Schatzki ring