What is an oesophageal stent insertion?
The oesophagus or gullet is a hollow muscular tube which takes food from the mouth down to
the stomach. If it becomes narrowed or blocked this can lead to problems with swallowing.
One way of overcoming this problem is by inserting a metal, mesh tube, called a stent. During a
gastroscopy your endoscopist passes a long flexible tube containing a camera and a light
source through your mouth, over the back of your tongue, down your oesophagus and across
the blockage. Food can then pass down the gullet through this stent and this should make
swallowing easier.
