Unusual achalasic sigmoid esophagus

Achalasia cardia is a rare primary esophageal motility disorder with an incidence of about 1 in 100,000 individuals. If left untreated or inappropriately treated, the disease may progress to end-stage achalasia characterized by megaesophagus or sigmoid esophagus. The presentation as severe malnutrition, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and asymptomatic tracheal compression has not been described in the setting of the sigmoid esophagus, in absence of underlying malignancy. Here we report an interesting case of a young male, who presented with the above features and managed excellently by open Heller’s myotomy under epidural anesthesia due to the poor performance status.

PS01.115: ESOPHAGECTOMY FOR ACHALASIA CARDIA: A SINGLE TEAM EXPERIENCE

Background In the era of per oral endoscopic myotomy, advancement in manometry and laparoscopy the treatment for achalasia cardia is well defined. Oesophagectomy has only a limited role in rare patients with sigmoid esophagus, perforation during nonsurgical treatment and malignancy. This study is about the indications of esophagectomy for achalasia cardia from one of the high volume centers for upper gastrointestinal disorders in India Methods This study includes 10 patients (7 male, 3 female) between august 2010 to august 2016.They had symptoms like dyspnea, dysphagia, regurgitation, chest discomfort, weight loss and cough. The duration of symptoms range from 2–120 months. Seven patients underwent previous pneumatic dilatation, four underwent Laproscopic Hellers cardiomyotomy with fundoplication (dor 3, toupet 1) and one patient had both pneumatic dilatation and cardiomyotomy. Results The indications for esophagectomy were sigmoid esophagus, failed pneumatic dilatation and laproscopic hellers cardiomyotomy, perforation after pneumatic dilatation and malignancy. The procedures done were transhiatal esophagectomy with stomach pull-up in 8 patients, Transthoracic esophagectomy in one, Esophagogastrectomy with transabdominal intrathoracic esophagojejunal anastomosis in one patient. The follow-up range between 14–84 months. During follow-up one patient developed hepatocellular carcinoma right lobe and died. Conclusion In the era where nonresection treatment play a major role in the management of achalasia cardia, esophagectomy still has a role in select patients. The indications for esophagectomy in our series included failed endotherapy, failed Hellers cadiomyotomy, sigmoid esophagus and malignancy. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Submucosal fibrosis in achalasia patients is a rare cause of aborted peroral endoscopic myotomy procedures

Background and aims Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is now an established treatment for esophageal achalasia. The standard protocol ensures a smooth operation in most patients, but technical challenges and failures exist and little is known about the incidence, causes, and impact of aborted procedures. Here, using a large patient cohort, we attempted to answer these questions. Methods All patients admitted for planned POEM between August 2010 and July 2015 underwent chart review. Aborted POEM was defined as the inability to finish the procedure after submucosal injection. The cause of the failure, clinical course, management, and follow-up data were analyzed. Results Thirteen of the 1693 POEMs (0.77 %) were aborted. Out of the 13 failures, 12 (92.3 %) were due to severe submucosal fibrosis, which precluded tunneling, and one (7.7 %) was due to atrial fibrillation related to the electric current of the endoscopic knife. Submucosal fibrosis, prior Heller myotomy, and age ( ≥ 60 years) were related to technical failure, while a disease duration of ≥ 6 years, sigmoid esophagus, mucosal edema, and prior interventions were risk factors for the presence of fibrotic changes. In turn, fibrosis was correlated with a prolonged operation, longer hospital stay, more mucosal injuries, and more major perioperative adverse events. Finally, the yearly frequency of aborted POEMs decreased after the second year as operators became more experienced. Conclusions Aborted POEM is a rare event and is largely due to the presence of submucosal fibrosis, which not only causes increased procedural difficulties, but also gives rise to major adverse events.