[Mid-term failure of balloon dilatation treatment of antral stenosis induced by caustics].

We report the case of an antral stricture following lye ingestion. The patient was treated by 3 dilations using a through-the-scope balloon dilator, initially with good results. One year later, the recurrence of the symptoms led to 2 other sessions of dilation without success and a partial gastrectomy was performed. The intensity of the gastric wall fibrosis on the surgical specimen, probably responsible for major motor impairment, accounts for the discordance between the good endoscopic result and the clinical failure. Endoscopic dilation of lye-induced gastric strictures could be a temporary alternative to surgical resection because the gastric wall fibrosis blemishes the long-term functional result.