Journal Article

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for the treatment of achalasia: A multicenter Middle Eastern experience

Al Ghamdi, Ahmed, Essam, Kareem, Al Ghamdi, Adel, Al Balkhi, Areej, Qutub, Adel, Alamr, Abdulrahman, Al Ibrahim, Bashaar, Al Otaibi, Nawwaf, Al Dabbagh, Ammar, Al Khathlan, Abdullah, Al Sayari, Khalid, Elkholy, Shaimaa, Alkhiari, Resheed, Al Lehibi, Abed, Gouda, Mohamed, Ahmad, Shameem, Almtawa, Abdullah, AlEid, Ahmad, El-Sherbiny, Mohammed, Alzahrani, Mohammed

2022

Overview

Background: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) was proposed in 2010 as a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of achalasia. In this article, we describe the Middle Eastern experience with the procedure in terms of efficacy, length of admission, and short- and long-term complications. Methods: A retrospective analysis of our prospectively collected data on patients who underwent a POEM procedure was conducted between March 2019 and May 2020. The primary outcome was clinical success rate, defined as a postprocedure Eckardt score ≤3 at ≥3 months. Secondary outcomes included the length of hospital stay, presence of reflux symptoms or need for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) ≥3 months, and adverse events. Results: During the study period, 67 patients (35 females) underwent the procedure for achalasia. The participants' ages ranged from 11 to 80 years (mean 41 ± 18 years). Eckardt scores before the treatment ranged between 4 and 12 (mean 8.85 ± 1.75). Sixty-four patients (95.5%) achieved Eckardt scores of ≤3 at ≥3 months after the procedure (95% confidence interval [CI]: 91%-100%). The difference between pre- and post-procedural Eckardt scores averaged around -8 points (95% CI: −7.5 to -8.5 P < 0.0001). Adverse events were reported in 24 patients (35.8%) and included pneumoperitoneum (32.8%), reflux symptoms at 3 months (29.9%), and surgical emphysema (3%). Six patients had adverse events that led to prolongation of admission; 3% of whom had aspiration pneumonia, 3% had pneumoperitoneum, 1.5% had both, and 1.5% had an esophageal tear. Conclusions: POEM is a promising procedure for the treatment of achalasia with a high clinical success rate, short hospital admission, and a reassuring safety profile.

• Publisher: Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd,Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd,Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd,Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
• Subject: Achalasia / Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Care and treatment / Child / Complications and side effects / Endoscopy / Esophageal Achalasia - surgery / Esophageal Sphincter, Lower - surgery / Esophagoscopy - methods / Female / Humans / Methylene blue / Middle Aged / Myotomy - methods / Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery - adverse effects / Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery - methods / Original / Retrospective Studies / Treatment Outcome / Young Adult