Per oral endoscopic myotomy vs. laparoscopic Heller myotomy, does gastric extension length matter?

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience in POEM vs. LHM, with particular focus on myotomy extension. BACKGROUND: POEM has been adopted worldwide as a treatment for achalasia. While resolution of dysphagia is above 90%, postoperative reflux ranges from 10 to 57%. Myotomy length has been a controversial topic. METHODS: Thirty-five cases of POEM were prospectively analyzed and compared retrospectively to the last 35 patients that underwent LHM, from December 2010 to August 2016. Mean follow-up was 10 months (6/32) for POEM and 20 months (6/68) for LHM. All patients with LHM had a myotomy extension ≥3 cm on the gastric side. In POEM cases, extension was defined by direct vision (Hill type II) and never exceeded 2 cm. RESULTS: Follow-up was completed in 100% of patients. Efficacy (ES ≤ 3) was 33/35 (94.2%) for POEM and 32/35 (91.4%) for LHM in a short-term follow-up (p = 1.000) and 31/35 (88.6%) and 27/35 (77.1%), respectively, in a long-term follow-up (p = 1.000), with average ES drop from 9 to 1.2 (p = 0.0001) in POEM vs. 9.2 to 1.3 (p = 0.0001) in LHM. Major Postoperative complications occurred in 1 patient (leak) for LHM and 1 patient (massive capnothorax) in POEM. Hospital stay was shorter for POEM than for LHM (1.3 vs. 2.1, respectively) (p = 0.0001). Symptomatic reflux cases included 7/35 POEM (20%) vs. 6/35 LHM (17.1%) (p = 0.4620). Esophagitis signs in endoscopy appeared in 1/21 POEM (4.7%) vs. 1/22 LHM (4.5%) (p = 1.000). Patients requiring PPI included 8/35 POEM (22.8%) vs. 7/35 LHM (20%) (p = 0.6642). Further treatment (endoscopic dilation) was performed in 10/35 POEM (28.5%) vs. 8/35 LHM (22.8%). CONCLUSIONS: A shorter myotomy on the gastric side in POEM may contribute to an acceptable reflux rate with comparable relief of dysphagia. Although our follow-up for POEM is shorter than for LHM, the trends are promising and warrant future prospective studies to address this topic.

The impact of flexible endoscopy in esophageal surgery.

Achalasia and Treatment of esophageal Adenocarcinoma are commonly associated to surgical resection. Newer technologies in interventional endoscopy gave way to a substantial paradigm shift in the management of these conditions. In the case of achalasia, endoscopic myotomy is rapidly displacing Heller's myotomy as the gold standard in many centers. Early stage neoplasia in Barrett's esophagus (BE) comprising high-grade dysplasia (HGD), intramucosal and, in some cases, submucosal carcinoma is now being treated without the need of esophagectomy. This review presents a summary of the most relevant endoscopic techniques for both achalasia and esophageal cancer. Endoscopic advances in diagnostic and therapeutic arenas allow for minimally invasive therapies and organ preservation in most settings of achalasia and early stage neoplasia of the esophagus provided that the clinical setting and physician's expertise are prepared for this approach.

Urinary bladder matrix scaffolds strengthen esophageal hiatus repair.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic repair of the hiatal hernia is associated with a recurrence rate between 12% and 42% depending on the defect size. Although the impact of hiatal reinforcement on long-term recurrence remains controversial, the main limitation of this approach has been the risk of adverse events related with the use of synthetic materials in the vicinity of the esophagus. METHODS: A total of 14 female domestic pigs underwent laparoscopic primary hiatal hernia repair of a simulated defect in the esophageal hiatus. Seven of the hiatal repairs were reinforced with an extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold, whereas the remaining seven served as primary repair controls. Animals were survived for 8 wk. At necropsy, after gross morphologic evaluation, samples were sent for mechanical testing and histology. RESULTS: The repaired defect site reinforced with ECM scaffolds showed a robust closure of the crura in all cases with a smooth peritoneal-like structure covering the entire repair. Average load at failure of the treated group was found to be significantly stronger than that of the controls (185.8 ± 149.7 g versus 57.5 ± 57.5 g, P < 0.05). Similarly, the stiffness was significantly higher in the treated animals (57.5 ± 26.9 g/mm versus 19.1 ± 17.5 g/mm; P < 0.01). Interestingly, there was no difference in elongation at failure (7.62 ± 2.02 mm versus 7.87 ± 3.28 mm; P = 0.44). CONCLUSIONS: In our animal survival model, we have provided evidence that the addition of an ECM to augment a primary hiatal repair leads to tissue characteristics that may decrease the possibility of early failure of the repair. This may translate to decreased recurrence rates. Further study is necessary.

[Radiofrequency ablation for Barrett's esophagus. Preliminary experience]. / Ablación por radiofrecuencia en esófago de Barrett. Experiencia Inicial.

UNLABELLED: Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation makes use of warm energy to ablate the esophagus's surface where the epithelial anomaly is located. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 50 adults patients with the diagnosis of EB according to Vienna Classification were included. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the security and efficacy of ARF in patients with EB. RESULTS: 50 ARF treated patients were included with a medium follow up of 18 months. The median age was 58 years. 1.4 sessions of ARF perpatient were made to obtain EB erradication. The procedure morbidity was 6%, the more frequent complication was the esophageal stenosis (two cases). During the follow up, intestinal metaplasia recurrence was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: In the experience of our team, ARF is a secure procedure with low morbidity. These observations added to the published results help to evaluate the currentfollow up protocols.

Autoadjustable sutures and modified seldinger technique applied to laparoscopic jejunostomy.

This is a simple technique to be applied to those patients requiring an alternative feeding method. This technique has been successfully applied to 25 patients suffering from esophageal carcinoma. The procedure involves laparoscopic approach, suture of the selected intestinal loop to the abdominal wall and jejunostomy using Seldinger technique and autoadjustable sutures. No morbidity or mortality was reported.

Electrical stimulation to increase lower esophageal sphincter pressure after POEM.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative reflux remains to be a challenge for patients with achalasia undergoing Heller myotomy. Similarly, per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is gaining rapid acceptance but the impossibility of adding a fundoplication is questioned as the main pitfall to control reflux. Electrical stimulation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) has emerged as a new alternative for the treatment of reflux disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits of combining electrical stimulation with endoscopic esophageal myotomy to prevent post procedural reflux. METHODS: Five pigs were subjected to POEM. After myotomy was completed, two electrical leads were implanted at the LES level and electrical stimulation was applied with the Endostim system with a regimen of 215 µs (5 mA amplitude), at 20 Hz for 25 min. LES pressures were recorded with manometry at pre and post-myotomy and after LES stimulation. RESULTS: Myotomy was completed successfully in all cases. Mean pre-myotomy LES pressure was 35.99 ± 8.08 mmHg. After myotomy, the LES pressure significantly dropped to 10.60 ± 3.24 mmHg (p = 0.03). Subsequent to LES-EST, LES pressure significantly increased to 21.74 ± 4.65 mmHg (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study show that LES-EST in healthy animals increases LES pressure after POEM procedure, and could be useful tool to minimize gastroesophageal reflux.

Patch esophagoplasty: esophageal reconstruction using biologic scaffolds.

BACKGROUND: Standard techniques for surgical reconstruction of the esophagus remain suboptimal. Primary closure of diseased or injured esophagus has been associated with high morbidity, primarily due to leak and stricture, and synthetic materials are contraindicated due to the high risk of erosion and infection. Degradable bioscaffolds composed of extracellular matrix (ECM) have recently shown promising results in both pre-clinical and clinical settings to prevent stricture after extended endoscopic mucosal resection. We propose a novel surgical technique that utilizes an ECM scaffold as a reconstructive patch to augment the esophageal diameter during primary repair. METHODS: Four patients requiring esophageal reconstruction underwent a patch esophagoplasty using an ECM scaffold composed of porcine urinary bladder ECM. The full thickness wall of the esophagus was replaced with an ECM patch that was sutured to the edges of the remaining esophagus, similar to the patch angioplasty performed in vascular procedures. RESULTS: All patients had a favorable clinical outcome with immediate recovery from the procedure and reinstated oral intake after 7 days. One patient had a micro leak at day 5 that closed spontaneously 2 days after drainage. Follow-up studies including barium swallow and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed adequate esophageal emptying through the surgical segment in all patients. The EGD showed complete mucosal remodeling at 2 months, with approximately 20% area contraction at the patch level. The area of the defect was indistinguishable from surrounding healthy tissue. Biopsy of the patch area showed normal squamous epithelium. One of the patients had a separate intrathoracic stricture that required further surgery. Clinical outcomes were otherwise favorable in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: An alternative for the treatment of esophageal stenosis is presented which uses a biological scaffold and an innovative surgical procedure. Additional work, including prospective studies and long-term follow-up, is required to fully evaluate the potential of this bioscaffold-based regenerative medicine approach for esophageal reconstruction.

Management of early-stage esophageal neoplasia (MESEN) consensus.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of esophageal adenocarcinoma often involves surgical resection. Newer technologies in interventional endoscopy have led to a substantial paradigm shift in the management of early-stage neoplasia in Barrett's esophagus comprising high-grade dysplasia (HGD), intramucosal carcinoma, and, in some cases, submucosal carcinoma. However, there has been no consensus regarding the indications for esophageal preservation in these cases. In this work, consensus guidelines were established for the management of early-stage esophageal neoplasia considering clinically relevant aspects (age, comorbidities, and social environment) in each scenario. METHODS: Seventeen experts were invited to participate based on their background and clinical expertise at high-volume centers. A questionnaire was created that included four clinical scenarios covering a wide range of situations within HGD and/or early esophageal neoplasia, particularly where controversies are likely to exist. Each of the clinical scenarios was open to discussion subdivided by patient age (20, 50, and 80 s). For each clinical scenario an expert was chosen to defend that position. Each defense triggered a subsequent discussion during a consensus meeting. Conclusions of that discussion together with an accompanying literature analysis allowed experts to confirm or change their original choices and served as the basis for the recommendations stated in this article. RESULTS: There was 100 % consensus supporting esophageal preservation in patients with HGD, independent of patient age or Barrett's length. In patients with T1a adenocarcinoma, consensus for preservation was not reached (65 %) for young and middle-aged individuals but was supported for elderly patients (100 %). For T1b adenocarcinoma, consensus was reached for surgical resection (90 %), leaving organ preservation for patients with very low risk of nodal invasion or poor surgical candidates. CONCLUSION: Advances in endoscopic imaging and therapy allow for organ preservation in most settings of early-stage neoplasia of the esophagus, provided that the patient understands the implications of this decision.