Surgical Treatment of Esophageal Achalasia in the Era of Minimally Invasive Surgery
László Andrási, Attila Paszt, Zsolt Simonka, Szabolcs Ábrahám, Márton Erdős, A Rosztóczy, Georgina Ollé, György Lázár
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: We have analyzed the short- and long-term results of various surgical therapies for achalasia, especially changes in postoperative esophageal function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2017, 54 patients with esophageal achalasia were treated in our institution. Patients scheduled for surgery underwent a comprehensive gastroenterological assessment pre- and post-surgery. Forty-eight of the elective cases involved a laparoscopic cardiomyotomy with Dor's semifundoplication, while two cases entailed an esophageal resection with an intrathoracic gastric replacement for end-stage achalasia. Torek's operation was performed on two patients for iatrogenic esophageal perforation, and two others underwent primary suture repair with Heller-Dor surgery as an emergency procedure. The results of the different surgical treatments, as well as changes in the patients' pre- and post-operative complaints were evaluated. RESULTS: No intra-operative complications were observed, and no mortalities resulted. During the 12 to 24-month follow-up period, recurrent dysphagia was observed mostly in the spastic group (TIII: 33%; diffuse esophageal spasm: 60%), while its occurrence in the TI type did not change significantly (14.5%-20.8%). As a result of the follow-up of more than two years, good symptom control was achieved in 93.7% of the patients, with only four patients (8.3%) developing postoperative reflux. CONCLUSIONS: The laparoscopic Heller-Dor procedure provides satisfactory long-term results with low morbidity. In emergency and advanced cases, traditional surgical procedures are still the recommended therapy.