• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.57 no.5
• /
• pp.610-619
• /
• 2024

Background/Aims: Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disease, for which peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has emerged as a promising treatment option; however, recurrence remains a challenge. Timed barium esophagography (TBE) is a useful diagnostic tool and potential outcome predictor of achalasia. This study aimed to determine predictive tools for recurrence after POEM. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled achalasia patients who underwent POEM between January 2015 and December 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups using the 1-month post-POEM Eckardt scores and TBE: the discordant group (Eckardt score improved >50%, TBE decreased <50%) and the concordant group (both Eckardt score and TBE improved >50%). Recurrence was defined as a reincrease in the Eckardt score to more than three during follow-up. Results: Complete medical records were available in 30 patients who underwent POEM. Seventeen patients (56.7%) were classified into the discordant group, while 13 patients (43.3%) were in the concordant group. The overall recurrence rate was 11.9% at 1-year, increasing to 23.8% during the extended follow-up. The discordant group had a 6.87 fold higher recurrence rate than the concordant group (52.9% vs. 7.7%, p=0.017). Conclusions: These results strongly suggest that combining the Eckardt score with TBE can effectively predict recurrent achalasia after POEM. Patients in the discordant group had an elevated risk.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.53-60
• /
• 1968

Achalasia is a functional disorder of a short segment of the lower esophagus showing obstruction of the esophagogastric junction. Dysphagia. regurgitation and weight loss are outstanding features,however, complicated pulmonary troubles aspiration pneumonitis, bronchiectasis, lung abscess etc. --are sometimes more apparent than the disease entity in children though achalasia is rarely encountered in children. During the period of January, 1961, to May, 1968, the authors experienced 9 cases of achalasia of the esophagus in Chest Surgery Department,N.M.C. 1. Seven of nine were male and four were under 5 years of age. 2. So-called symptoms triad noted in almost every case, and 3 of 4 children showed recurrent attacks of pneumonitis. 3. Chest film showed widened superior mediastinum by dilated esophagus in 6 cases, and pulmonary infiltrations in 3 cases of children. 4. Preoperative diagnosis were achalasia,esophageal stricture by rodent-cidal ingestion and suggestive esophageal cancer in 7 cases,one case and remaining one case. respectively. 5. Modified Heller procedure was performed in all cases with definite diagnosis of achalasia at operation table in misdiagnosed 2 cases. 6. Immediate postoperative complications were 2 cases of wound infection and one case of atelectasis and no operative mortality encountered. 7. Seven of nine showed excellent result of operation, and good in one case. Remaining one case failed relieving obstruction and underwent interposition of ileocolonic segment with excellent result.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.45 no.9
• /
• pp.1160-1164
• /
• 2002

We report a case of Alport syndrome associated with esophageal leiomyomatosis, presenting as recurrent pneumonia. A 5-year old girl who had a history of cataract visited the out patient clinic with a complaint of recurrent wheezing and respiratory difficulty which had started five months previously. Chest magnetic resonance image(MRI) and esophagography, checked on the suspicion of achalasia, revealed esophageal leiomyomatosis and renal biopsy revealed Alport syndrome. In the pediatric population, this tumor is a rare cause of dysphagia and is often misdiagnosed as an esophageal motility disorder. Although a number of Alport syndrome associated with leiomyomatosis were reported in the literature, this is a second case report presented with recurrent pneumonia in Korea.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.291-294
• /
• 2017

An 8-month-old Chow-Chow dog presented with dysphagia and regurgitation, and was diagnosed with cricopharyngeal dysphagia (CPD). Cricopharyngeal myotomy did not improve the clinical signs. Three months after the initial surgery, a subtotal myectomy of cricopharyngeal muscle with partial thyropharngeal myotomy was performed. The clinical improvement was maintained for more than one year after the second surgery. Subtotal myectomy of cricopharyngeal muscle can be considered for dogs with CPD that do not respond to myotomy.