Peroral Endoscopic Remyotomy for Failed Heller Myotomy

Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder, which is characterized clinically by symptoms of dysphagia, regurgitation, weight loss and chest pain. With respect to long-term efficacy, Heller myotomy (HM) using an open or a laparoscopic approach has gained wide acceptance as the procedure of choice for the management of patients with primary achalasia in recent years. Although good or excellent long-term symptomatic response rates can be achieved in more than 90% of patients undergoing HM, recurrence or persistence of symptoms occurs in approximately 20%. Controversy exists regarding the therapy of patients with failed success after HM. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has recently been described as a new minimally invasive endoscopic myotomy technique intending a permanent cure from primary achalasia. Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy and the feasibility of POEM for patients with failed HM.