The Outcomes and Quality of Life of Patients with Achalasia after Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy in the Short-Term

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the short-term efficacy and quality of life (QOL) of patients with achalasia after peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM).

Methods: Thirty-five achalasia patients underwent POEM from May 2013 to December 2013. The data on clinical evaluation and QOL before therapy, at 1 month and 6 months postoperation were collected and analyzed.

Results: All the thirty-five patients underwent POEM successfully. By comparing the data of the preoperative with that of 1 month and 6 months after POEM respectively, we found that: mean Eckardt score decreased (6.83 vs 0.51, 6.83 vs 0.46, all P <0.05), esophagus diameter reduced (47.97 mm vs 32.00 mm, 47.97 mm vs 28.50 mm, all P <0.05), and esophageal manometry declined (29.5 mmHg vs 11.5 mmHg, 29.5 mmHg vs 10.3 mmHg, all P <0.05). Complications occurred in 14.3% (5/35) of the cases, and no recurrence was observed. At each time point, postoperative QOL scores were higher than those of preoperative (P <0.05).

Conclusions: POEM is safe and effective for treating achalasia in the short-term, it can relieve clinic symptoms as well as improve patients' QOL.

Fig. 1

The scores are performed as mean scores given in Table 3. ^*P <0.05 QOL scores of the preoperative vs those of the postoperative. ^#P <0.05 QOL scores of 1 month postoperatively vs those of 6 months postoperatively. QOL: quality of life