Per‐oral endoscopic myotomy in cases with prior Heller's myotomy: Outcomes at a median follow‐up of 5 years

Abstract Background and Aim Per‐oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an established treatment for achalasia cardia. However, data on the long‐term efficacy of POEM in patients with failed Heller's myotomy (HM) are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long‐term outcomes of POEM in patients with persistent or recurrent symptoms following HM. Methods Data of patients with recurrence of symptoms after HM who underwent POEM (September 2013 to December 2022) were analyzed, retrospectively. Primary outcome was clinical success [Eckardt score (ES) ≤ 3]. Secondary outcomes included improvement of manometry parameters, barium emptying at 5 min and gastroesophageal reflux (esophagitis and increased esophageal acid exposure) after POEM. Results Seventy‐two cases (45.9 ± 13.4 years, 43 men) with history of HM were included in the study. The subtypes of achalasia were type 1 (40.3%), type 2 (37.5%), and unknown (19.4%). Prior treatment included HM in 48 (66.7%), HM plus pneumatic dilatation in 20 (27.8%), and HM plus pneumatic dilatation and Botox in 4 (5.5%). Technical success was achieved in all cases. Mean length of myotomy was 10.7 ± 3.3 cm, and mean procedure duration was 59.2 ± 25.9 min. There was significant improvement in ES (pre‐POEM 6.5 ± 1.8 vs post‐POEM 0.7 ± 0.7), lower esophageal sphincter pressure pressures (31.7 ± 12.5 vs 13.3 ± 5.7 mmHg) and barium emptying (14.2 ± 4.2 vs 2.4 ± 3.1 cm) after POEM. At a median follow‐up of 63 months (IQR 40–95), clinical success (ES ≤ 3) was documented in 58 (80.6%) patients. Reflux esophagitis and increased esophageal acid exposure were recorded in 28 of 49 (57.1%) and 11 of 20 (55%) patients, respectively. Conclusion POEM is a durable treatment modality in cases with relapse of symptoms after HM.