Achalasia - position of surgery in current management

Oesophageal achalasia is a serious cause of dysphagia. Therapeutic options for achalasia include endoscopic and surgical methods. Indications for individual methods overlap to a certain extent and require careful diagnosis. The review article describes individual methods, focusing particularly on the issues of indications of pneumatic dilatation, peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) and laparoscopic or robotic Hellers myotomy. Special attention is paid to revision procedures after Hellers myotomy. The main added value of POEM is the treatment of spastic disorders of the oesophagus and re-do myotomy. Type 2 achalasia can be treated with dilatation, POEM and HM; type 1 achalasia can be treated using the same modalities. For type 3, POEM is the current method of choice. Despite the current emphasis on endoscopic myotomy, surgical therapy, especially laparoscopic or robotically assisted Hellers myotomy, remains a safe therapeutic option. It is indicated especially in patients who are not suitable for endoscopic therapy or those with advanced achalasia findings. In the future, identification of the risk of postoperative complications (perforation, reflux) should lead to differentiation of the indication of the laparoscopic (robotic) approach and POEM, or it may lead to a synchronous or metachronous indication of the cuff construction.