Use of a urinary bladder ECM hydrogel as an esophageal submucosal fluid cushion

A method for dissecting a mucosa and a submucosa from a muscularis propria at a region of an esophagus of a subject, comprising:

• injecting submucosally into the region of the esophagus of the subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising a urinary bladder extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel to form a cushion between the submucosa and the underlying muscularis propria in the esophagus at the region, wherein the urinary bladder ECM hydrogel comprises the following characteristics:
• a) a time to 50% gelation of 20 minutes or less at a temperature of about 37° C.;
• b) a flow viscosity suitable for infusion into the esophagus;
• c) a stiffness of about 10 to about 400 Pascal (Pa);
• and
• d) an ECM concentration in the urinary bladder ECM hydrogel of about 4 mg/ml to about 20 mg/ml;
• thereby dissecting the mucosa and the submucosa from the underlying muscularis propria at the region of the esophagus and inhibiting inflammation in the region of the esophagus in the subject;
• and
• performing an endoscopic resection procedure on the cushion to remove the dissected mucosa and submucosa.