[Treatment of esophageal achalasia]

During the past years the authors performed at the First Surgical Clinic, Faculty Hospital Olomouc laparoscopic cardiomyotomy with Dor's plastic operation in 17 patients with achalasia of the oesophagus. From the above number 15 patients were relieved of their complaints, two patients were reoperated. The cause of failure of the operation was in one case previous treatment with botulotoxin, in the other case achalasia grade IV, refractory to this type of treatment. The authors consider laparoscopic oesophago-cardiomyotomy a safe procedure, effective in particular in the earlier stages of the disease. They warn against excessive protraction of surgical treatment, frequently caused by selection of ineffective non-surgical therapy.