Achalasia is a primary esophageal motility disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by aperistalsis of the esophageal body and impaired lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation. Available data suggest that the disease is multifactorial, but the exact initiating factors that may play a role in the development of the disease remain unclear. Case presentation: We report the case of a 65 year...

HYPOTHESIS Laparoscopic Heller myotomy with anterior hemifundoplication is the surgical procedure of choice for the treatment of esophageal achalasia. Specific factors, eg, severity of esophageal body deformity, might affect postoperative outcome. DESIGN Prospective case-control study. SETTING Academic referral center for gastrointestinal tract motility disorders. PATIENTS Twenty-nine pat...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Laparoscopic Heller myotomy with antireflux procedure is considered to be a standard treatment for achalasia. Recently, peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) was developed and performed on patients with achalasia. However, there is no report on POEM use in South Korea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical feasibility of POEM in a porcine model. METHODS POEM was perf...

BACKGROUND Achalasia is an infrequent primary motility disorder of the esophagus. Because of uncertain etiology, treatment is only palliative and is directed at decreasing lower esophageal sphincter pressure, improving esophageal emptying and relieving the symptoms of achalasia. Current treatment options include pharmacological, endoscopic and surgical. We undertook a systematic literature revi...

OBJECTIVE To identify predictors of long-term outcome of laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia, including predictors of heartburn and recurrent dysphagia, which occasionally develop postoperatively. DESIGN Retrospective review using interviews of patients. SETTING Academic university hospital. PATIENTS One hundred sixty-five patients with achalasia who underwent a laparoscopic esophag...

Achalasia is an esophageal motility disorder of unknown cause, characterized by aperistalsis of the esophageal body and impaired lower esophageal sphincter relaxation. Patients present at all ages, primarily with dysphagia for solids/liquids and bland regurgitation. The diagnosis is suggested by barium esophagram and confirmed by esophageal manometry. Achalasia cannot be cured. Instead, our goa...