A child’s esophagus can become damaged through physical trauma or ingestion of toxic chemicals or foreign objects — such as oven and drain cleaners, lye, laundry and dishwasher detergents and batteries. Depending on the substance and the amount ingested, children can develop esophageal strictures (scar tissue that narrows the esophagus) or esophageal perforations (holes in the esophagus). These problems can also be complications of surgery for esophageal atresia, in which a baby is born without part of the esophagus.

Children with esophageal perforations have traditionally been treated with long courses of antibiotics and not eating by mouth. More recently, perforations have been treated with stents, and strictures with a combination of dilation and stenting. But stenting, while it can be effective, requires up to eight weeks of therapy and can have complications such as pain, retching and local pressure necrosis, a type of ulcer that may worsen perforation. Such concerns have led researchers to investigate alternative treatments for perforation and strictures.