Peroral endoscopic myotomy for the treatment of achalasia in the Unified Healthcare System (SUS): results of a short-term

Abstract

Introduction: achalasia is a chronic disease. Since there is no curative treatment, diagnosed patients have pharmacological and/ or surgical techniques available, aimed at minimizing the condition. POEM appears as a promising new type of palliative treatment with good rates of symptom improvement. Objective: evaluate the profile of POEM at the Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Pernambuco (HC-UFPE) and correlate it with the world scenario. Methods: data collection was performed retrospectively from September 2017 to October 2019 with all patients undergoing POEM at the HC-UFPE. Sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital variables were evaluated before and three months after the procedure. Results: of 27 patients (52.41 ± 19.24 years old) who underwent the procedure, 66.7% had idiopathic etiology and 33.3% had etiology secondary to Chagas disease. 48% patients underwent previous procedures, of which seven used some type of medication for symptom control, two underwent pneumatic endoscopic dilation, and four underwent Heller cardiomyotomy with partial fundoplication. 62.5% of the evaluated patients had type II achalasia before the procedure. Seven (25.9%) patients presented the following adverse events: four presented bleeding, two pneumoperitoneum, and one both complications, all being treated conservatively. The Eckardt score reduced from 8.37 ± 1.45 to 0.85 ± 1.06 (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: clinical improvement of symptoms and the patient profile followed the worldwide trend, with emphasis on the etiology secondary to Chagas disease, endemic in Brazil. Gastroesophageal reflux remains the main post-operative symptom.