Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) for Esophageal Primary Motility Disorders: Analysis of 100 Consecutive Patients

Introduction Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a flexible endoscopic approach to the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) providing access for a myotomy to relieve dysphagia. The technique has been adopted worldwide due to reports of excellent short-term clinical outcomes. We report on a consecutive patient cohort with clinical and objective outcomes representing the establishment of a POEM program within a busy esophageal surgical practice. Methods Comprehensive data was collected prospectively on all patients undergoing POEM from October 2010 to November 2013 at a single institution. Patients were classified based on high-resolution manometry (HRM). Operative data and immediate outcomes were reviewed. Symptom scores, HRM, and timed barium swallow (TBS) were performed prior to the procedure. Patients were asked to undergo routine postoperative testing 6-12 months after surgery with the addition of standard 24-h pH to the preoperative protocol. Morbidity was defined as requiring additional procedures or prolonged hospital stay >2 days. Results One hundred POEM patients were included in the final analysis. The mean age was 58 years (18-83 years). Primary presenting symptoms included dysphagia 81, chest pain 10, and regurgitation 9. The mean follow-up was 16 months. HRM diagnoses were 75 achalasia (30 type I, 43 type II, 2 type III), 12 nutcracker esophagus, 5 diffuse esophageal spasm (DES), and 8 isolated hypertensive non-relaxing LES. Conclusion This study represents the largest POEM series to date that includes objective data. Despite reflux in one/three of patients, POEM provides excellent relief of dysphagia (97 %) and chest pain (91.5 %) for patients with esophageal spastic disorders with acceptable procedural morbidity.