background although heller myotomy is one of the most effective treatments for achalasia, it may be associated with early or late symptom relapse in some patients. therefore, additional treatment is required to achieve better control of symptoms. aim : to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pneumatic balloon dilation (pbd) in patients with symptom relapse after heller myotomy. methods thirty si...

BACKGROUND Intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin is a new treatment option for achalasia. AIMS To compare the immediate and long term efficacy of botulinum toxin with that of pneumatic dilatation. METHODS Symptomatic patients with achalasia were randomised to botulinum toxin (22 patients, median age 57 years) or pneumatic dilatation (20 patients, median age 56 years). Symptom scores...

between 1993-1996 seventy-three consecutive patients (33 m, 40 f, mean age 35.4) with newly diagnosed achalasia underwent one or more pneumatic dilatations with the rigiflex balloon using a protocol of graded dilatation with a fixed inflation pressure of 10 psi and constant duration of 30 seconds for all patients without using fluoroscopy. using vantrappen's classification for assessment o...

among the therapeutic options for achalasia are pneumatic dilatation (pd), an appropriate long-term therapy, and botulinum toxin injection (bt) that is a relatively short-term therapy. this study aimed to compare therapeutic effect of repetitive pneumatic dilation with a combined method (botulinum toxin injection and pneumatic dilation) in a group of achalasia patients who are low responder to ...

BACKGROUND Pneumatic dilatation or intrasphincteric botulinum toxin injection provide effective symptom relief for patients with achalasia. Although intrasphincteric botulinum toxin injection is simple and safe, its efficacy may be short-lived. Pneumatic dilatation lasts longer, but esophageal perforation is a risk. We compared treatment costs for pneumatic dilatation and intrasphincteric botul...

CONTEXT Pneumatic dilatation and surgical (Heller) myotomy are the 2 principal methods for treatment of achalasia. There are no population-based studies comparing outcomes of these 2 treatments in typical practice settings. OBJECTIVE To compare the outcomes of pneumatic dilatation and surgical myotomy for achalasia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective longitudinal study using li...

Between 1993-1996 seventy-three consecutive patients (33 M, 40 F, mean age 35.4) with newly diagnosed achalasia underwent one or more pneumatic dilatations with the Rigiflex balloon using a protocol of graded dilatation with a fixed inflation pressure of 10 psi and constant duration of 30 seconds for all patients without using fluoroscopy. Using Vantrappen's classification for assessment of...

TO THE EDITOR: We would like to appreciate the interest shown in our article by Dr. Joo. Our response to his queries is as follows: (1) The risk factors for prediction of recurrence after endoscopic pneumatic dilatation are young age, male sex, shorter duration of symptoms, low pre-treatment lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and post therapy LES pressure above 10 mmHg. In the present st...

Objective: Balloon dilatation of Primary Achalasia Cardia (PAC) is usually performed under antegrade endoscopic guidance, with conscious sedation. The main goals of this prospective study were to assess the safety and efficacy of pneumatic dilatation without conscious sedation and to determine the endoscopic signs of effacement of the balloon”waist”. Methodology: Pneumatic dilatation was succes...