Novel pre-peroral endoscopic myotomy preparation for esophageal clearance: Simple yet effective!

Abstract

Background : : Having a clean esophagus is an integral part of the peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) procedure for ensuring safety and success. Conventional preparation is a tricky, because there is no defined definite timeline of fasting for the different types of achalasia. The present study introduces a simple yet effective preparation of esophageal clearance. Methods : : All patients who underwent POEM were included. Patients were stratified in novel and conventional preparation groups by a random selection. In the novel preparation, the cases were maintained on lukewarm water and carbonated drink followed by nil per oral (NPO) prior to the procedure. In conventional preparation, the controls were maintained on clear liquid followed by NPO. Success rate of preparation and procedure related outcomes were compared using independent t tests and chi-squared tests. Results : : A total of 150 patients (male 54.0%; mean age 41.2 ± 15.5 years) were included in the study. Known baseline and clinical factors which could affect esophageal clearance were evenly distributed between the two groups. Novel preparation had provided absolute esophageal clearance (97.3%) without the requirement of pre-POEM endoscopic cleaning. Moreover, Novel preparation demonstrates several advantages over the conventional preparation: decreased anesthesia aspiration risk (P < 0.0001), reduced preoperative hospitalization (P < 0.0001), and hospital stays (P < 0.005). Conclusion : : Evidently, the novel preparation is very simple, efficient, safe and appropriate for all types of achalasia. Moreover, novel preparation provides absolute esophageal clearance without requiring prolonged period of liquid diet, fasting and pre-POEM endoscopic cleaning.

Keywords

• achalasia cardia; esophagus; peroral endoscopic myotomy