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Updated: Oct 12, 2026

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Published on: September 22, 2014
[Surgical treatment of failures or recurrences after Heller cardiomyotomy (author's transl)]
Insights
Heller cardiomyotomy for achalasia offers a 96% success rate, with surgery preferred over dilation. Addressing complications like reflux and insufficient myotomy through appropriate re-intervention is crucial for optimal patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Surgical Procedures
Context:
- Achalasia is a primary esophageal motility disorder.
- Heller cardiomyotomy is a common surgical intervention for achalasia.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the outcomes and identify failure patterns of Heller cardiomyotomy in achalasia patients.
- To define indications for surgery and management strategies for complications.
Summary:
- A retrospective analysis of 406 Heller cardiomyotomies for achalasia revealed a 96% favorable outcome rate.
- Surgical intervention is recommended over pneumatic dilation.
- Common failures included insufficient myotomy (requiring re-myotomy) and gastro-esophageal reflux (often necessitating esophagogastric resection).
- Accurate preoperative assessment is vital to avoid treatment errors for atypical presentations.
- Postoperative complications like asystolia and the risk of cancer underscore the importance of early, correctly performed abdominal myotomy.
Impact:
- Heller cardiomyotomy is a highly effective treatment for achalasia when indications are clear and the procedure is performed correctly.
- Understanding failure mechanisms guides re-intervention strategies and emphasizes the importance of anti-reflux measures.
- Early surgical intervention may reduce long-term risks, including malignancy.
Abstract:
A Heller cardiomyotomy has been realized in 406 cases of achalasia. The indications for operation are defined. Surgery must be preferred to dilatation: the results are favorable in 96% of cases. The failures or so-called failures are detailed. In failures or recurrences due to an insufficient cardiomyotomy, a new myotomy is indicated. Gastro-esophageal reflux is frequently an indication for oesogastric resection. Failures have been observed in 70 cases. The insufficient initial myotomy was completed in 36 cases. The etiology of postmyotomy sclerosis (15 perioesophageal, 3 interstitial) is discussed. Severe peptic oesophagitis, observed in 15 cases, stresses the importance of restoring the anti-reflux mechanism, rather than using a thoracic approach with the risk of a myotomy too limited towards the stomach. Other causes of failures (atypical mega-oesophagus, limited peptic stenosis) are due to an erroneous interpretation of preoperative X-rays, endoscopy and manometric data: in such cases, the original treatment should have been adapted to the lesion. Finally, 8 postoperative oesophageal asystolias and 4 cancers stress the importance of an early myotomy, correctly realized through an abdominal approach.
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