Safety and effectiveness of sling fiber preservation POEM to reduce severe post-procedural erosive esophagitis

BACKGROUND

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is standard treatment for achalasia. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) after POEM has been an important challenge since the early days of POEM implementation. The esophagogastric junction anti-reflux barrier consists of internal lower esophageal sphincter (LES) (i.e., intrinsic muscles of distal esophagus with sling fibers) and external LES (crural diaphragm and phrenoesophageal ligament anchors the distal esophagus to the crural diaphragm). During conventional POEM, the entire internal LES is unintentionally dissected. Preservation of the sling fiber may reduce post-POEM GERD, but its safety and effectiveness have been unclear. In this study, we investigated the safety and effectiveness of sling fiber preservation POEM (SP-POEM) for reducing severe post-procedural erosive esophagitis.

METHODS

We analyzed data of 236 patients who underwent POEM; of these, 203 patients underwent posterior myotomy without (Group 1) or with attempted (Group 2) sling fiber preservation. Group 1 (N = 79; sling fiber excision, N = 68) and Group 2 (N = 90; sling fiber preservation, N = 81) were compared. Post-procedural erosive esophagitis (Los Angeles classification) were assessed and the area (direction and length) of mucosal break was also investigated. The gastroesophageal flap valve was evaluated by Hill's classification.

RESULTS

Severe erosive esophagitis exceeding grade C (Los Angeles classification) occurred in 44.1% of patients (30/68) in Group 1 and in 18.5% of patients (15/81) in Group 2. In mapping of erosive esophagitis, mucosal breaks appeared widely in all directions in Group 1; they tended to be limited in Group 2 (especially in the 2 o'clock direction). Assessment using the Hill's classification showed that the gastroesophageal flap valve was preserved after SP-POEM.

CONCLUSION

SP-POEM is safe and effective, with a success rate of 90%. The rate of severe erosive esophagitis can be decreased by preserving sling fibers.

Correlation study in the measurements of oblique passive ductions and cyclorotation

PURPOSE

To evaluate intraoserver and inteobserver repeatability of the "exaggerated forced duction test" or "oblique traction test" and the "excyclo and incyclo passive rotation test" or "cyclorotation traction test".

METHODS

44 eyes of 22 patients were evaluated under deep general anesthesia. Passive duction was tested on supraduction and infraduction by the "exaggerated duction test". The limitation on movement was graduated from 0 to - 4. Passive cyclorotation test was evaluated with retropulsion of the globe until the first resistance is noted. We used the Mendez ring and blue dots marked on the limbus to measure the amount of cyclorotation. The results obtained of excyclo and incyclorotation were recorded. All measurements were made in duplicate for each of the two observers.

RESULTS

The intraclass correlation of the "oblique traction test" coefficient between the two observers was for the IO was 0,738 (95% confidence interval, 0,62-0,83) and 0,910 for the superior oblique (SO) (95% confidence interval, 0,85-0,94). The "cyclorotation traction test" intraclass correlation coefficient of the between the two observers was 0,827 (95% confidence interval, 0,74-0,89) for exclycloduction and 0,792 (95% confidence interval, 0,67-0,85) for inclycloduction. The percentage of patients within 5° of rotation interobserver was 84,1% for excyclorotation and 81,8% for inclyclorotation. Both tests had better correlation on the intraobserver than interobserver evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluation of the "oblique traction test" and "cyclorotation traction test" had moderate to good correlation between the two observers and good to excellent on the intraobserver evaluation.

Novel per-oral endoscopic myotomy method preserving oblique muscle using two penetrating vessels as anatomic landmarks reduces postoperative gastroesophageal reflux

BACKGROUND AND AIM

One of the main concerns related to peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is postoperative gastroesophageal reflux (GER). The two penetrating vessels (TPVs) that are found at the boundary between the circular and oblique muscles in the posterior cardia wall have been suggested to be a good indicator of the optimal distal extent of POEM. However, the effect of performing myotomy using the TPVs as an anatomical reference on the frequency of post-POEM GER has not been studied.

METHODS

This study involved consecutive patients who underwent POEM for the treatment of achalasia between April 2015 and June 2017. All enrolled patients underwent POEM in the 5 o'clock position and were divided into two groups: the conventional line group (CL group, n = 31), in which the TPVs were not exposed during submucosal tunnel dissection in the cardia, and the TPVs line group (TPVs group, n = 83), in which the TPVs were exposed and gastric myotomy was performed along the right side of the TPVs to preserve the oblique muscle. Examinations for post-POEM GER were conducted 3 months after the POEM.

RESULTS

The frequency of grade B or higher reflex esophagitis was 26/83 (31.3%) in the TPVs group and 18/31 (58.1%) in the CL group (P = 0.017). Nine of 83 patients (10.8%) had GER symptoms in the TPVs group, and six of 31 (19.4%) had GER symptoms in the CL group (P = 0.23).

CONCLUSIONS

The novel myotomy method preserving oblique muscle using TPVs as anatomical landmarks significantly reduced the frequency of post-POEM GER.