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Background: eosinophilic esophagitis is a rare condition mainly affecting children, although the number of cases reported in adults is on the increase. It is characterized by intense infiltration of eosinophilic leukocytes in the esophageal mucosa, without involvement of other sections of the alimentary canal. Material and methods: over the past year, following the performance of endoscopies and biopsies, our service identified nine patients who were diagnosed with suffering from this disorder. Each patient sought medical help for episodes of long-term, self-limited dysphagia or food impaction in the alimentary canal. Results: endoscopy revealed esophageal stenosis in the form of simultaneous contraction rings or regular stenosis. In six cases, the manometric study showed a nonspecific motor disorder of severe intensity affecting the esophageal body, and another patient had a disorder characterized by the presence of simultaneous waves and secondary peristaltic waves in the three thirds of the organ. These disorders are presumably due to eosinophilic infiltration of the muscular layer or ganglionar cells of the esophagus, and account for symptoms in these patients. Although the etiopathogenesis of this illness is uncertain, it is clearly an immunoallergic manifestation. Conclusions: as the number of diagnosed cases is on the increase, eosinophilic esophagitis is in adults a specific entity within the differential diagnosis of dysphagia in young males with a history of allergies. Eosiniphilic esophagitis responds in a different number of ways to therapies used. We successfully used fluticasone propionate, a synthetic corticoid applied topically, which proved to be efficient in the treatment of this illness by acting on the pathophysiological basis of the process. It does not have any adverse effects, thus offering advantages over other therapies such as systematic corticoids or endoscopic dilations.Introducción: la esofagitis eosinofílica es una enfermedad poco frecuente, propia de la edad pediátrica, aunque cada vez son más los casos descritos en pacientes adultos. Se caracteriza por la intensa infiltración de la mucosa esofágica por leucocitos eosinófilos, en ausencia de afectación de otros tramos del tubo digestivo. Material y métodos: en nuestro servicio hemos identificado durante el último año a 9 pacientes que fueron diagnosticados de esta entidad tras la endoscopia y toma de biopsias. Todos consultaron por episodios de disfagia autolimitada de larga evolución o por impactación de alimento en esófago. En la endoscopia se observaron estenosis esofágicas, en forma de anillos de contracción simultánea o estenosis regulares. Resultados: el estudio con manometría esofágica demostró la existencia de un trastorno motor de cuerpo esofágico de tipo inespecífico e intensidad severa en 6 casos, y en otro paciente un trastorno caracterizado por la presencia de ondas simultáneas en los tres tercios del órgano y ondas secundarias peristálticas. Dichos trastornos son debidos presumiblemente a la infiltración eosinofílica de la capa muscular o de las células ganglionares del esófago, y justifican los síntomas de estos pacientes. Conclusiones: aunque la etiopatogenia de la enfermedad no es bien conocida, parece claro que se trata de una manifestación inmunoalérgica. Su prevalencia diagnóstica está en aumento, por lo que la esofagitis eosinofílica del adulto es una entidad específica en el diagnóstico diferencial de la disfagia en varones jóvenes con antecedentes de alergia. La esofagitis eosinofílica presenta una respuesta variable a las terapias utilizadas. Nosotros hemos utilizado con éxito el propionato de fluticasona, un corticoide sintético de aplicación tópica, eficaz en el tratamiento de esta entidad al actuar sobre la base fisiopatológica del proceso. Carece de efectos adversos, por lo que presenta ventajas frente a otras terapias como los corticiodes sistémicos o las dilataciones endoscópicas.

Introduction: Refractory esophageal stenosis (RES) is a major health problem in the pediatric population. Several techniques such as stent placement or C-mitomycin (CM) have been described as alternative treatments. We present our experience with both techniques, in our case with biodegradable stents (BS) and sometimes the association with stents and CM. Material and methods: Six patients have been included: 2 post-operative fistulas in patients with type I esophageal atresia; 1 operated atresia without fistula; and 3 caustic strictures. 5 BS were placed in 4 children: 3 of them in cases of atresia (2 prosthesis in one case) and the other one in a case of stricture. CM was used in 5 cases: in 2 of them from the beginning, and in the other 3 cases after failure of the stent. Results: When placed in fistulas, BS were fully covered. One of them successfully treated the fistula, but the other one was not effective. One stenosis was successfully treated with SB (in the case of persistent fistula), but recurrence was observed in the other 2 cases. One of these was solved with CM, and the other one needed a second stent. In the remaining 2 cases (one atresia and one caustic stricture) CM was effective after 1 and 2 sessions respectively. Overall, 5 out of 6 stenosis have been successfully treated (83.3%), and 1 out of 2 fistulas (50%). Conclusions: Association of BS and CM has been effective in the management of RES in children.