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Assessment of Different Modified POEM for Achalasia

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Esophageal Achalasia
Interventions
Procedure: conventional myotomy
Procedure: short myotomy
Procedure: full-thickness myotomy
Procedure: tailored myotomy
Registration Number
NCT04578769
Lead Sponsor
Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Brief Summary

The aims of this study are 1) to compare the efficacy and safety of conventional myotomy (long myotomy) and modified myotomy (short myotomy) in the treatment of type I/II achalasia patients diagnosed according to Chicago Classification; 2) to compare the efficacy and safety of conventional myotomy (circular myotomy) and modified myotomy (full-thickness myotomy) in the treatment of type I/II achalasia patients; 3) to compare the efficacy and safety of conventional myotomy (non-tailored myotomy) and modified myotomy (tailored myotomy) in the treatment of type III achalasia patients.

Detailed Description

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a novel clinical technique used to treat achalasia. The conventional POEM myotomy length averages 8 to 10 cm (4-6 cm in the esophagus, 2-4cm in the LES, 2cm in the cardia \& 6-8 cm above and 2 cm below the gastroesophageal junction \[GEJ\]) for typical achalasia (Chicago classification I, II), but there is no guideline or expert consensus with regard to minimal myotomy length recommended in POEM.

Based on the facts that achalasia is a primary motor disorder of LES dysfunction, patients with type I/II achalasia may achieve a satisfactory outcome with shorter myotomy in procedure of modified POEM, which only focused on the forced relaxation of the LES. Recently, some retrospective studies have suggested that shorter myotomy is comparable with longer myotomy for treating achalasia with regard to clinical efficacy and has the advantage of shorter procedure time, which needs to be further confirmed by more prospective studies.

In terms with the International Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy Survey, a longer myotomy is recommended for patients with type III achalasia. The length of myotomy in type III achalasia can be gauged by high-resolution manometry (HRM). Recent research showed that postoperative Eckardt score was significantly improved in the tailored group (myotomy length informed by HRM) versus non-tailored for type III achalasia, but this study was limited by its retrospective nature.

There is still no conclusion on the thickness of muscle bundle dissection recommended during POEM. Selective circular muscle myotomy is designed to avoid gastroesophageal reflux (GER) postoperatively and decrease morbidity during POEM. But one meta-analysis showed that Heller's surgery could keep patients in long-time remission, mainly because of its full-thickness muscle bundle dissection to make sure of persist relaxation of LES. A retrospective study comparing the outcomes of full-thickness and circular muscle myotomy showed no differences in efficacy, GER or adverse events, although the procedural time was shorter in the full thickness myotomy group.

Further randomized controlled trials are warranted to assess the efficacy and safety of different modified myotomy approaches in POEM for patients with achalasia.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
325
Inclusion Criteria
  • Subjects diagnosed as achalasia type I, II, or III on the basis of the results of established methods (barium swallow, manometry, esophagogastroduodenoscopy)
  • Candidate for a POEM
  • No contra-indication to general anesthesia
  • Their age is ≥14years and ≤70 years
  • Able to give written consent
Exclusion Criteria
  • Previous myotomy for achalasia: any of previous Heller myotomy, endoscopic myotomy
  • Previous mediastinal surgery
  • Any anatomical esophageal anomaly that in the opinion of the investigator may render the intervention more difficult, such as sigmoid esophagus on the pre-operative barium swallow, esophageal diverticula or hiatal hernia.
  • Any medical condition, which in the judgment of the Investigator and/or designee makes the subject a poor candidate for the investigational procedure
  • Pregnant or lactating female
  • Subjects with coagulopathy

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
conventional myotomyconventional myotomyconventional myotomy for achalasia type I, II and III
short myotomyshort myotomymodified myotomy (short myotomy) for achalasia type I and II
full-thickness myotomyfull-thickness myotomymodified myotomy (full-thickness myotomy) for achalasia type I and II
tailored myotomytailored myotomymodified myotomy (tailored myotomy) for achalasia type III
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Rate of intra-procedure complicationsDuring the endoscopic procedure

Complications encountered during the procedure will be noted. (perforation, delayed bleeding, pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, anastomotic leak etc.)

Therapeutic success of short term6 months after the procedure

Therapeutic success is defined as a reduction in the Eckardt score to ≤3. The Eckardt score is the sum of the symptom scores for dysphagia, regurgitation, and chest pain (with a score of 0 indicating the absence of symptoms, 1 indicating occasional symptoms, 2 indicating daily symptoms, and 3 indicating symptoms at each meal) and weight loss (with 0 indicating no weight loss, 1 indicating a loss of \<5 kg, 2 indicating a loss of 5 to 10 kg, and 3 indicating a loss of \>10 kg) (Eckardt, V. Gastroenterology, 1992. 103(6): 1732-8.

Rate of GERD2 years after the procedure

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is identified by positive results of esophageal pH-impedance/pH-monitoring (DeMeester score), gastro-esophageal reflux symptom assessment (GerdQ questionnaire) or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (reflux esophagitis).

Therapeutic success of long term2 years after the procedure

Therapeutic success is defined as a reduction in the Eckardt score to ≤3.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pressure changes by high-resolution manometry (HRM)2 years after the procedure

Basal lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and integrated relaxation pressure (IRP)

Change in barium column height by barium esophagogram2 years after the procedure

Barium swallow studies will be done to evaluate the oesophageal emptying at 5 minutes

Procedure timeDuring the endoscopic procedure

The duration of the endoscopic procedures for each patients will be calculated, in minutes, since the mucosal incision until the endoscopic closure of the mucosal entry with the last endoscopic clip.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Gastroenterology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

🇨🇳

Beijing, Beijing, China

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