Randomized Prospective Trial of Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy and Partial Fundoplication for the Treatment of Idiopathic Esophageal Achalasia

Idiopathic achalasia is an uncommon motor disorder of the esophagus which occasionally requires surgical intervention. Although there are several controversial aspects of therapy for achalasia, laparoscopic myotomy is emerging as the procedure of choice. Several studies report having good to excellent outcomes following a laparoscopic procedure in approximately 90% of patients. However, a main deterrent to long-term success is the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) despite the use of an antireflux procedure. For this reason, most surgeons add a partial fundoplication to the myotomy. The gastric fundus can either be wrapped anterior to the esophagus (Dor fundoplication), or posterior to the esophagus (Toupet fundoplication). Currently, the type of fundoplication is determined by surgeon's choice. There exists no systematic comparison of the two procedures. This multicenter, randomized study aims to evaluate patient outcomes following myotomy and Dor versus Toupet fundoplication.