I would like to hear from members who have had the esophagus dilation procedure called TREAD (Transgastric Retrograde Esophagoscopy w/h Anterograde Dilitation). Is it the same procedure that most people have received when they have a dilation? Are there any stats on its success rate?

Since you have not received any replies I thought I would make a suggestion to help with this. Its possible the patients who have had an esophageal dilation were not given the full name of their procedure. That could be why you have no responses to your question.

I have read info from several members over the years about having their esophagus stretched. Many report that they have had success with this but many also say it takes repeated procedures, some have it every couple years. I know your procedure isnt the same but the area affected may respond in a similar manner as what the other members experienced.

If you put the word dilation in the search bar, a few threads will come up. One recent thread discussed the procedure not working. There was feedback from a few members who have had this done. You could find some info there. Here is the link to that recent thread.

Dilation thread

Wishing you all the best with this procedure!

Gloria,
I have had the procedure done three times. Last was about 3 years ago. The first time just the thought of having it done freaked me out! But they put you under and you only wake up with a sore throat. Not a big deal. It helped my swallowing immensely and I wished I had done it earlier! And yes because of the scar tissue you may need to repeat but worth the benefit to swallowing and not choking. If after a swallowing test this is recommended by his docs he should give it a try.

Did you have TREAD performed at Wake Forest Medical Centre in North Carolina?

Christine, thanks for your response. I have read through most of the posts. When I did not receive any response, I finally thought of my cousin who is a medical professor at Harvard. She has actually worked with the doctor who pioneered TREAD and CARD. She also sent me a couple of articles to read. Apparently, the doctor who pioneered the technique is one of very few doctors who have done the procedure, hence the lack of information. I would be happy to share the articles but I am not sure how I can do it on the forum. At this point, we are still waiting for an appointment to discuss treatment options with the gastroenterologist, but I would like to arm myself with as much information as I can find.

If you are able to send me the link thru a PM, I can help by adding it to one of your posts.

Wishing you all the best with this, Gloria!

What a small world to have your cousin work with the pioneering doctor!

Christine, thanks for offering to help post the links. Unfortunately, they are not links to websites but actual articles that were emailed to me as attachments. Is there a way that I could get them to you?

If you want to send them directly to me you can email me. If you want to post the articles, look them up online by going to the source the article came from. It might take some digging but eventually you can probably find the articles online.