The long-term outcome of balloon dilation versus botulinum toxin injection in patients with primary achalasia

From Toxin to Treatment: A Narrative Review on the Use of Botulinum Toxin for Autonomic Dysfunction

Since its regulatory approval over a half-century ago, botulinum toxin has evolved from one of the most potent neurotoxins known to becoming routinely adopted in clinical practice. Botulinum toxin, a highly potent neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, can cause botulism illness, characterized by widespread muscle weakness due to inhibition of acetylcholine transmission at neuromuscular junctions. The observation of botulinum toxin's anticholinergic properties led to the investigation of its potential benefits for conditions with an underlying etiology of cholinergic transmission, including autonomic nervous system dysfunction. These conditions range from disorders of the integument to gastrointestinal and urinary systems. Several formulations of botulinum toxin have been developed and tested over time, significantly increasing the availability of this treatment for appropriate clinical use. Despite the accelerated and expanded use of botulinum toxin, there lacks an updated comprehensive review on its therapeutic use, particularly to treat autonomic dysfunction. This narrative review provides an overview of the effect of botulinum toxin in the treatment of autonomic dysfunction and summarizes the different formulations and dosages most widely studied, while highlighting reported outcomes and the occurrence of any adverse events.

Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy for Achalasia in Older Adults: A Retrospective Analysis of 39 Cases with a Minimum Follow-Up of 5 Years

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has demonstrated favorable short-term safety and efficacy in older adults, while a comprehensive understanding of the long-term outcomes were vague. We aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes in older adults' 5-year postop after undergoing POEM to treatment achalasia. Older adults from a single hospital who received POEM between January 2010 and January 2017 were analyzed. Older persons were reached to evaluate their symptoms at present and encouraged repeat examinations for objective follow-up. The clinical success, POEM-related indicators, POEM-related adverse events, and quality of life were assessed. Thirty-nine older adults with a mean age of 70.82 ± 4.72 who underwent POEM were studied at a mean 84.23 ± 25.06 month follow-up. The preoperative diagnosis was achalasia type I in 7 older adults, achalasia type II in 26 older adults, and achalasia type III in 2 older adults. Sixteen older adults had prior treatment and 21 older adults suffered from comorbidities. The median operative time was 50 (25-120) minutes, and perioperative adverse events were recorded in four older adults. The current Eckardt scores were significantly lower than that before POEM (2.08 ± 2.12 vs. 6.58 ± 1.78, P < 0.001). Besides, long-term clinical success was gained in 66.7% of older adults. Three older adults received postop treatment for symptom recurrence. Ultimately, 80.6% of old adults expressed satisfaction with POEM, while 27.8% of older adults suffered from symptomatic reflux. In conclusion, POEM can provide symptomatic improvement in a large proportion of older adults with achalasia at 5-year postop.

Gastrointestinal Uses of Botulinum Toxin

Botulinum toxin (BT), one of the most powerful inhibitors that prevents the release of acetylcholine from nerve endings, represents an alternative therapeutic approach for "spastic" disorders of the gastrointestinal tract such as achalasia, gastroparesis, sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, chronic anal fissures, and pelvic floor dyssynergia.BT has proven to be safe and this allows it to be a valid alternative in patients at high risk of invasive procedures but long-term efficacy in many disorders has not been observed, primarily due to its relatively short duration of action. Administration of BT has a low rate of adverse reactions and complications. However, not all patients respond to BT therapy, and large randomized controlled trials are lacking for many conditions commonly treated with BT.The local injection of BT in some conditions becomes a useful tool to decide to switch to more invasive therapies. Since 1980, the toxin has rapidly transformed from lethal poison to a safe therapeutic agent, with a significant impact on the quality of life.

Office-Based Cricopharyngeus Balloon Dilation for Post Chemoirradiation Dysphagia in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients: A Pilot Study

Dysphagia is a common sequela post chemo/radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), with cricopharyngeal dysfunction often a contributing factor. This study examined the impact of balloon dilation of the cricopharyngeus and cervical oesophagus on swallow competence for dysphagic patients with cricopharyngeal dysfunction post NPC. Patients with NPC were screened for dysphagia and cricopharyngeal dysfunction using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation. Thirteen symptomatic patients, median 14.1 years post chemoradiotherapy for NPC, then underwent balloon dilation under local anesthesia. Before and 1 month post dilation, swallow function was assessed with fluoroscopy, and rated using the penetration-aspiration scale, temporal swallowing measures, and MBSImP pharyngoesophageal segment opening and esophageal clearance parameter. The MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI; Chinese version) and the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) were collected pre-, 1 month, and approximately 3 months post dilation. Post-dilation, significant improvements were noted in mean FOIS scores (5.00 to 5.62), duration of cricopharyngeus opening (0.42 s to 0.53 s), MBSImP pharyngoesophageal opening scores (1.61 to 1.08), penetration-aspiration scale scores (4.85 to 3.92) and MDADI Composite score (46.48 to 52.43). At 3 months post dilation, the MDADI Composite Score showed sustained benefit. The procedure was well tolerated and without complication. In patients with cricopharyngeal dysfunction post NPC, balloon dilation significantly improved swallow function, reduced aspiration risk and improved quality of life. Evidence from a larger cohort with long-term follow-up is warranted to determine sustained benefit.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy versus pneumatic dilation for achalasia in patients aged ≥ 65 years

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Both peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) and pneumatic dilation (PD) has proved to be effective for treating achalasia in patients aged ≥ 65 years. However little is known about the comparison between POEM and PD. The aim of the study was to compare the safety and efficacy of POEM and PD for the treatment of achalasia in these patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients aged 65 years-old or more who received POEM or PD for the treatment of achalasia at our hospital from January 2010 to December 2015, they were divided into the POEM group and the PD group. Demographics and data about safety and efficacy were collected retrospectively and compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

A total of 31 patients were enrolled, and 21 of them received POEM, while the other 10 received PD. The treatment success (Eckardt score ≤ 3) rate of POEM and PD at 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after the treatment were comparable (p > 0.05). Treatment failure was noticed in 3 cases, 1 of them was in the POEM group and the other 2 in the PD group, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that sigmoid-type achalasia was a predictive factor of treatment failure. No severe complications were observed during operation and periodical follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Short-term and intermediate efficacy of POEM and PD for treating achalasia in patients aged ≥ 65 years was comparable. A large scale, randomized study with long-term follow-up is necessary in order to make a definitive conclusion.

Treatment of gastrointestinal sphincters spasms with botulinum toxin A

Botulinum toxin A inhibits neuromuscular transmission. It has become a drug with many indications. The range of clinical applications has grown to encompass several neurological and non-neurological conditions. One of the most recent achievements in the field is the observation that botulinum toxin A provides benefit in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Although toxin blocks cholinergic nerve endings in the autonomic nervous system, it has also been shown that it does not block non-adrenergic non-cholinergic responses mediated by nitric oxide. This has promoted further interest in using botulinum toxin A as a treatment for overactive smooth muscles and sphincters. The introduction of this therapy has made the treatment of several clinical conditions easier, in the outpatient setting, at a lower cost and without permanent complications. This review presents current data on the use of botulinum toxin A in the treatment of pathological conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.