Complementary pneumatic dilations are an effective and safe treatment when laparoscopic myotomy fails: A 30-year...

In the last 3 decades, laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) has represented the treatment of choice for esophageal achalasia, solving symptoms in most patients. Little is known about the fate of patients relapsing after LHM or their treatment. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the results of complementary pneumatic dilations (CPDs) after ineffective LHM.

We evaluated the patients who underwent LHM with Dor fundoplication (LHD) from 1992 to 2022 and were submitted to CPD for persistent or recurrent symptoms. The patients were followed clinically and with manometry, barium swallow, and endoscopy when necessary. An Eckardt score (ES) of > 3 was used as threshold for failure.

Of 1420 patients undergoing LHD, 120 (8.4%) were considered failures and were offered CPD. Ten patients refused further treatment; in 5 CPD was not indicated for severe esophagitis; 1 patient had surgery for a misshaped fundoplication and 1 patient developed cancer 2 years after LHD; that leaves 103 patients who underwent a median 2 CPDs (IQR, 1-3), at a median of 15 (IQR, 8-36) months after surgery, with 3.0- to 4.0-cm Rigiflex dilator (Boston Scientific, Massachusetts, USA). No perforations were recorded. Only 6 patients were lost to follow-up. Thus, 97 were followed for a median of 37 months (IQR, 6-112) after the last CPD: 70 (72%) were asymptomatic, whereas 27 (28%) had significant persistent dysphagia (ES > 3). The only differences between the 2 groups were the ES after surgery (P < .01) and the number of required CPD. Overall, the combination of LHD + CPD provided a satisfactory outcome in 96.5% of the patients.

CPDs represent an effective and safe option to treat patients after a failed LHD: when the postsurgery ES consistently remains high and the number of CPDs required to control symptoms exceeds 2, this may suggest the need for further invasive treatments.