Biodegradable stent or balloon dilatation for benign oesophageal stricture: Pilot randomised controlled trial

Table 1 Baseline characteristics

	Endoscopic balloon dilatation				Biodegradable Stent				Mean difference	P value1
	mean ± SD	Min	Max	n	mean ± SD	Min	Max	n
Age (yr)	63.8 ± 9.1	54	74	6	62.7 ± 12.5	40	78	9	-1.1	1.000
Age at diagnosis (yr)	61.9 ± 10.5	49	74	6	59.6 ± 13.9	36	77	9	-2.3	0.955
Gender male:female	[5:1]				[8:1]					1.000
Weight (kg)	61.0 ± 10.0	47	71	6	71.7 ± 29.5	45	141	9	10.7	0.864
Height (cm)	168 ± 14	143	181	6	170 ± 10	156	188	9	2.0	1.000
Smoking (never:previously:currently)	(1:2:3)				(4:2:3)					0.660
Time since quitting smoking (yr)	4.3 ± 5.7	0.3	8.3	2	1.8 ± 1.5	0.7	2.8	2	-2.5	1.000
n cigarettes/d (if current)	18.3 ± 2.9	15	20	3	18.3 ± 2.9	15	20	3	0.0	1.000
Current drinker (no:yes)	(3:3)				(4:5)					1.000
Alcohol units/w (if current)	22.3 ± 17.2	10	42	3	15.8 ± 11.0	1	29	5	-6.5	0.786
Number of dilatations (ever)	3.2 ± 2.3	1	6	6	6.2 ± 5.1	1	16	9	3.0	0.224
Number of dilatations (in last 12 m)	1.2 ± 0.8	0	2	6	1.9 ± 1.8	0	5	9	0.7	0.607
Stricture length (cm)2	4.0 ± 1.9	2	6	5	3.5 ± 1.3	2	5	8	-0.5	0.524
Luminal diameter (mm)2	12.3 ± 4.9	9	18	3	23.2 ± 31.8	6	80	5	10.9	1.000
Extent of stricture (from)2	31.0 ± 3.7	25	36	6	34.6 ± 2.5	30	38	8	3.6	0.081
Extent of stricture (to)2	35.8 ± 2.9	32	40	5	38.0 ± 1.9	34	40	8	2.2	0.171
Dysphagia score (baseline)	1.83 ± 0.98	1	3	6	2.00 ± 1.22	0	4	9	0.17	0.776
EQ5D score (baseline)	0.69 ± 0.31	0.26	1	6	0.69 ± 0.24	0.36	1	9	0.00	0.955
EQVAS score (baseline)	73 ± 21	35	95	6	57 ± 22	30	95	9	-16	0.145
Intervention balloon dilatation (mm)	14.5 ± 1.2	12	15	6
Intervention stent length (mm)					96.1 ± 31.5	60	135	9
Intervention fluoroscopy (no:yes)	(4:2)				(0:9)					0.011

¹Continuous measures: independent samples Mann-Whitney U Test (exact significance); count data: Fisher’s exact test;

²At endoscopy prior to intervention.