You are a palliative nurse and today you are visiting a 39-year-old woman with cancer of the esophagus. She has had trouble swallowing since before her diagnosis and has lost more than 40 pounds. She has a
gastrostomy tube (G-tube) inserted for nutrition.
This woman is being cared for by her young family. She has recently transitioned to a PPS of 30%. She is
now in a hospital bed in the living room of her home. She has begun to have pain in her epigastric area
and under her sternum.

This procedure is used to stretch out an area of the esophagus that is narrowed or blocked to allow better swallowing.

A small balloon-like device or a device shaped like a pipe is passed down the throat and pushed through the narrowed area to stretch it out. This can be repeated if needed. Before the procedure, your doctor may give you a sedative to help you relax and may numb your throat by spraying it with a local anesthetic.

There is a small risk of bleeding or tearing a hole in the esophagus (called a perforation) with this procedure, which could require surgery or other treatments to fix. The esophagus typically stays open only a few weeks after dilation, so this is often followed by other treatments (such as placing an expandable stent) to help keep the esophagus open.

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