Endoscopic Management of Esophageal Wall Defects

February 16, 2026 updated by: Mohammad Al-Haddad, Indiana University

Outcomes of Endoscopic Management of Esophageal Wall Defects at a Large Referral Center

The study aim at comparing outcomes from the implementation of various endoscopic closure techniques including stenting and suturing on the healing and resolution of esophageal wall defects.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Esophageal wall defects are a rare but potentially life-threatening subset of luminal pathology which usually require timely intervention in order to reduce the known associated high morbidity and mortality. These defects can be due to surgical and endoscopic procedures, such as post-operative leaks and fistulas and perforations complicating endoscopic dilation. In addition, defects can occur spontaneously due to Boerhaave's syndrome or following chemoradiation treatments of esophageal or other chest malignancies. Surgical management was historically the mainstay of therapy for these defects with conservative management remaining an alternative in poor surgical candidates. Over the last several years however, interventional endoscopy has played an increasing role in treatment of esophageal wall defects, with endoscopic stenting quickly becoming a viable alternative. Temporary stents including the fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FC-SEMS), partially covered self-expandable metal stents (P-SEMS) and self-expandable plastic stents (SEPS) have all been successfully used and have become increasingly regarded as the new standard of care.

Indiana University is a tertiary referral center is a destination for complex thoracic surgery, oncology and esophageal disease referrals. The innovative luminal endoscopy team started employing a several modalities including flexible endoscopic suturing and stenting to close esophageal defects. To our knowledge, there is a dearth of data on outcomes associated with multi-modality esophageal defect closure techniques and little to no data comparing this approach to the current standard of care of stenting alone or surgery.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

150

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • Indiana University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All patients who present who our medical center with existing esophageal wall defect seeking endoscopic treatment and management

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Any patient with spontaneous or iatrogenic esophageal wall defect

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Resolution of esophageal wall defect
Time Frame: 7/1/2014 to 7/1/2022
Resolution of esophageal wall defect
7/1/2014 to 7/1/2022

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Indiana University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 26, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 26, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

October 1, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 16, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1509223988

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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