[Technical aspects of laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia]

[Therapy of esophageal motility disorders]

Esophageal motility disorders are diseases in which there are malfunctions of the act of swallowing due to a change in neuromuscular structures. The main symptom is therefore dysphagia for solid and/or liquid foods, often accompanied by symptoms such as chest pain, regurgitation, heartburn, and weight loss. Esophageal manometry is the gold standard in diagnostics. Endoscopy and radiology serve to exclude inflammatory or malignant changes. With the introduction of high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM), the diagnosis of esophageal motility disorders has improved and led to a new classification with the Chicago Classification, which has been modified several times in the last decade, most recently in 2020 with the Chicago Classification v4.0. Compared to the previous version 3.0, there are some important changes that are presented based on the most important esophageal motility disorders in everyday clinical practice.

[Therapy of esophageal motility disorders]

Esophageal motility disorders are diseases in which there are malfunctions of the act of swallowing due to a change in neuromuscular structures. The main symptom is therefore dysphagia for solid and/or liquid foods, often accompanied by symptoms such as chest pain, regurgitation, heartburn, and weight loss. Esophageal manometry is the gold standard in diagnostics. Endoscopy and radiology serve to exclude inflammatory or malignant changes. With the introduction of high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM), the diagnosis of esophageal motility disorders has improved and led to a new classification with the Chicago Classification, which has been modified several times in the last decade, most recently in 2020 with the Chicago Classification v4.0. Compared to the previous version 3.0, there are some important changes that are presented based on the most important esophageal motility disorders in everyday clinical practice.

[Diagnostics and therapy of achalasia]

The low incidence (1:100,000) makes primary idiopathic achalasia a problem of special importance. Patients often have a long medical history of suffering before the diagnosis is established and adequate therapy provided. Surgeons who perform antireflux surgery must be certain of detecting achalasia patients within their collective of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients to avoid contraindicated fundoplication. The current gold standard for establishing the diagnosis of achalasia is manometry. Especially in early stages, symptom evaluation, endoscopy and barium swallow lack adequate sensitivity. High-resolution manometry (HRM) is increasingly used and allows characterization of different achalasia types (i.e. type I classical achalasia, type II panesophageal pressurization and type III spasmodic achalasia) and differentiation from other motility disorders (e.g. distal esophageal spasm, jackhammer esophagus and nutcracker esophagus). For patients over 45 years of age additional endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography are recommended to exclude pseudoachalasia. A curative treatment restoring normal esophageal function does not exist; however, there are good options for symptom control. Therapy aims are abolishment of dysphagia, improvement of esophageal clearance, prevention of reflux and abolishment of chest pain. The current standard treatment is cardiomyotomy, which was first described 100 years ago by the German surgeon Ernst Heller and has been shown to be clearly superior when compared to endoscopic treatment (e.g. botox injection and balloon dilatation). Heller's myotomy procedure is preferentially performed via the laparoscopic route and combined with partial fundoplication. Currently, an alternative to performing Heller's myotomy via the endoscopic route is under intensive investigation in several centers worldwide. The peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) procedure has shown very promising initial results and warrants further clinical evaluation.

Impact of minimally invasive surgery in the spectrum of current achalasia treatment options

Minimally invasive Heller myotomy has evolved the "gold standard" procedure for achalasia in the spectrum of current treatment options. The laparoscopic technique has proved superior to the thoracoscopic approach due to improved visualization of the esophagogastric junction. Operative controversies most recently include the length of the myotomy, especially of its fun-dic part, with respect to the balance between postoperative persistent dysphagia and development of gastroesophageal reflux, as well as the type of the added antireflux procedure. Peri-operative mortality should approach 0%, and favorable long-term results can be achieved in > 90%.

Minimally invasive surgery for achalasia in patients >40 years: more favorable than anticipated

PURPOSE

The efficacy of Heller myotomy in patients >40 years-a significant predictor suggesting a favorable response to pneumatic dilation-has been questioned. The aim of our study was to evaluate the results obtained in patients aged <40 and >40 years undergoing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for achalasia.

METHODS

In January 2008, we established the MIS technique for achalasia in our clinic. In the following period from January 2008 to March 2011, 74 patients underwent primary laparoscopic myotomy for achalasia. The procedure was accomplished with an anterior 180° semifundoplication according to Dor in all patients. The Eckardt score and the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GQLI) served as outcome measures.

RESULTS

The median age of patients was 45.5 years (range, 18-85 years) with a median duration of preoperative achalasia symptoms of 57 months (range, 2-468 months). There were no conversions to open surgery and-except for one patient with a sterile pleural effusion-no postoperative complications. At a median follow-up of 12 months, the preoperative Eckardt score of 7.0 (range, 3-12) was found to be significantly decreased to a median of 2 (range, 0-6; P < 0.001). With regard to patients <40 and >40 years, the postoperative Eckardt score obtained in the older patient population was not significantly lower (P = 0.074). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to the postoperative GQLI (P = 0.860). Neither gender nor preoperative Botox injection or pneumatic dilation inserted a significant influence on the postoperative clinical outcome (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia is associated with a high success rate as the primary therapeutic option and after failure of endoscopic therapy. It can be performed safely and with favorable outcomes also in patients >40 years. However, the long-term durability of the procedure remains to be established.