Oesophageal intubation in obstructive lesions of the oesophagus

Abstract

In a study of the relative merits of the Mousseau-Barbin and Celestin tubes used for palliation in 60 patients with dysphagia due to mechanical obstruction of the oesophagus by cancer or stricture, the Celestin tube emerged as a better palliative measure than the Mousseau-Barbin tube in so far as operative morbidity and mortality are concerned. In the assessment of the quality of life after intubation the Celestin tube again appears to be the better tube in the early postoperative period but in the later stages there appears to be no significant difference in the quality of life between the two tubes. The quality of life as defined in this paper appears to have little relation to the duration of survival.