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Esophageal catheters that include an inflatable balloon near their distal tips. These catheters typically consist of a 5 to 9 French plastic tube and a balloon that can be inflated at a larger diameter (e.g., 0.25 inch to 0.60 inch/6 mm to 15 mm). The catheter is usually introduced over a guide wire; when the catheter tip reaches an esophageal stricture the balloon at its tip is inflated to a diameter slightly larger than the lumen of the esophagus stricture. Balloon esophageal catheters are mostly used in infants and children to dilate esophageal strictures (e.g., after surgical repair of congenital discontinuity of the esophagus).
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