A Training Model for Introducing a Novel Surgical Procedure into Clinical Practice: Our Experience on Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy for Achalasia.

Dear Editor, Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a treatment for achalasia which can potentially obviate the need for intraabdominal surgery, whilst at the same time, deliver the same effective treatment as the current standard of care – surgical myotomy. Although POEM has shown encouraging 1-year success rates of more than 90%,1-3 it remains a technically demanding procedure. In the absence of local experts in the field, our unit came up with a structured training programme to ensure that a new procedure can be offered safely and efficaciously. This article illustrates our journey in adopting POEM as a therapeutic procedure, including its safe introduction into clinical practice, and presents a series of our first 20 experiences with this procedure.