Treatment of cardial submucosal tumors originating from the muscularis propria layer: submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection versus endoscopic submucosal excavation.

Compared with ESE, STER does not show overt advantages for cardial SMTs. However, ESE is superior to STER for reduced operation time. Irregular tumor shape seems to be a risk factor for piecemeal resection in both STER and ESE.