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POEM vs. Pneumatic Dilation for Esophageal Achalasia

Not Applicable
Conditions
Esophageal Achalasia
Interventions
Procedure: POEM
Procedure: Pneumatic dilation
Registration Number
NCT01768091
Lead Sponsor
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) compared with pneumatic dilation in the treatment of esophageal achalasia.

Detailed Description

Esophageal achalasia is an esophageal motor disorder, which is characterized by the absence of esophageal peristalsis combined with a defective relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The major symptoms of esophageal achalasia are dysphagia, chest pain, and regurgitation of undigested food.

Currently, treatment options mainly focus on relief of the symptoms by reducing the LES pressure. Pneumatic dilation is the main endoscopic therapies for esophageal achalasia. However, the patients need repeat treatment to maintain therapeutic success and there is a risk of perforation (1%-3%). For surgery approaches, the laparoscopic Heller's myotomy (LHM) combined with Dor's antireflux procedure has gained considerable interest. The LHM can sustain therapeutic effects for long-term in approximately 80% of patients.

Recently, Inoue et al. succeeded in treating achalasia endoscopically with a method called peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) and achieved promising results in short-term. Technically, POEM derived from natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), in which a submucosal tunnel is created after submucosal injection, and then an endoscopic myotomy was made at the gastroesophageal junction.

However, the long-term efficacy and safety of POEM were not determined, and there was no prospective study that compared the POEM with other conventional treatment. Therefore, we aim to determine the efficacy and safety of POEM, compared with the pneumatic dilation, in the treatment of esophageal achalasia.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
200
Inclusion Criteria
  • Between 18 and 75 years of age
  • Patient with esophageal achalasia
  • Eckardt score > 3
  • Signed informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
  • Severe cardio-pulmonary disease or other serious disease leading to unacceptable surgical risk
  • Pseudo-achalasia, Mega-oesophagus (greater than 7 cm), or Oesophageal diverticula in the distal oesophagus
  • Previous endoscopic Botox injection
  • Previous oesophageal or gastric surgery
  • Pregnancy or lactation women, or ready to pregnant women
  • Not capable of filling out questionnaires

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
POEMPOEMPOEM for patients with esophageal achalasia
Pneumatic dilationPneumatic dilationPneumatic dilation for patients with esophageal achalasia
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Therapeutic successFrom date of randomization until the follow-up ended, assessed up to 2 years

Therapeutic success is defined as a symptom control to an Eckardt score of 3 or less.

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): p. 1732-8.)

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Procedure related complicationFrom date of randomization until the follow-up ended, assessed up to 2 years

Perforation, Delayed bleeding, Pneumothorax, Subcutaneous emphysema, Anastomotic leak etc.

Time of treatment failureFrom date of randomization until the follow-up ended, assessed up to 2 years

Time of treatment failure is defined as when the Eckardt score of patients are more than 3

Pressure at the lower esophageal sphincterFrom date of randomization until the follow-up ended, assessed up to 2 years

The basal LES pressure and the swallow-induced LES relaxation will be monitored and measured at the end of expiration. After introduction and equilibration, basal pressure is monitored during at least 5 minutes. Swallow-induced relaxation of the sphincter is assessed by 5 ml wet swallows, at least 30 s apart.

Quality of lifeFrom date of randomization until the follow-up ended, assessed up to 2 years

Patients will complete the quality-of-life questionnaires (the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, SF-36) for assessing quality of life

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University

🇨🇳

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

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