The use of instant developing film (Polachrome) for making 35-mm slides and prints

gastrointestinal tract. One patient had an esophageal stricture and the other had a postbulbar duodenal stricture. They used a coagulation current applied through a straight needle. Unlike the treatment of achalasia and strictures, the electrosurgical treatment of esophageal rings usually does not require cutting into the muscular layers since most of the rings consist only of mucosal and submucosal elements. The procedure is further facilitated by the distinct right angle between the thin diaphragm of the ring and the esophageal wall which aids in judging the proper depth of the electrosurgical incision. An advantage of the endoscopic electrosurgical approach over other mechanical nonsurgical approaches (bougienage, endoscopic rupture, and pneumatic dilation) is that precisely directed treatment of the ring (incision) can be made under direct visualization. Since the ring is actually being incised rather than stretched, the elasticity of the ring will not interfere with efficacy. The necessary equipment is widely available from commercial sources. Clearly, expertise in electrosurgical procedures is a prerequisite. Longterm results in larger numbers of patients are needed to further evaluate this procedure. It may become a useful modality in the treatment of lower esophageal rings for which bougienage has been impossible or ineffective.