Background: It is currently unclear if the three manometric patterns of esophageal achalasia represent distinct entities or part of a disease continuum. The study's aims were: a) to test the hypothesis that the three patterns represent different stages in the evolution of achalasia; b) to investigate whether manometric patterns change after Laparoscopic-Heller-Dor (LHD). Methods: We assessed the patients diagnosed with achalasia who underwent LHD as their first treatment from 1992 to 2016. Their symptoms were scored using a detailed questionnaire for dysphagia, food-regurgitation, and chest pain. Barium-swallow, endoscopy, and esophageal-manometry were performed before and 6 months after surgery. Results: The study population consisted of 511 patients (M:F = 283:228). Patients' demographic and clinical data showed that those with pattern III had a shorter history of symptoms, a higher incidence of chest pain, and a less dilated gullet (p. <. 0.001). All patients with a sigmoid-shaped mega-esophagus had pattern I achalasia. One patient with a diagnosis of pattern III achalasia developed pattern II at a follow-up manometry before surgery.At a median follow-up of 30 months (IQR 12-56), the outcome of surgery was positive in 479 patients (91.7%).All patients with pattern I preoperatively had the same pattern after LHD, whereas more than 50% of patients with pattern III before treatment showed pattern I or II after surgery. Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis/theory that the different manometric patterns represent different stages in the evolution of the disease-where pattern III is the earliest stage, pattern II an intermediate stage, and pattern I the final stage. © 2017 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l.

The natural history of achalasia: Evidence of a continuum-"The evolutive pattern theory"

Salvador, Renato;Savarino, Edoardo;Capovilla, Giovanni;Merigliano, Stefano;Costantini, Mario
2017

Abstract

Background: It is currently unclear if the three manometric patterns of esophageal achalasia represent distinct entities or part of a disease continuum. The study's aims were: a) to test the hypothesis that the three patterns represent different stages in the evolution of achalasia; b) to investigate whether manometric patterns change after Laparoscopic-Heller-Dor (LHD). Methods: We assessed the patients diagnosed with achalasia who underwent LHD as their first treatment from 1992 to 2016. Their symptoms were scored using a detailed questionnaire for dysphagia, food-regurgitation, and chest pain. Barium-swallow, endoscopy, and esophageal-manometry were performed before and 6 months after surgery. Results: The study population consisted of 511 patients (M:F = 283:228). Patients' demographic and clinical data showed that those with pattern III had a shorter history of symptoms, a higher incidence of chest pain, and a less dilated gullet (p. <. 0.001). All patients with a sigmoid-shaped mega-esophagus had pattern I achalasia. One patient with a diagnosis of pattern III achalasia developed pattern II at a follow-up manometry before surgery.At a median follow-up of 30 months (IQR 12-56), the outcome of surgery was positive in 479 patients (91.7%).All patients with pattern I preoperatively had the same pattern after LHD, whereas more than 50% of patients with pattern III before treatment showed pattern I or II after surgery. Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis/theory that the different manometric patterns represent different stages in the evolution of the disease-where pattern III is the earliest stage, pattern II an intermediate stage, and pattern I the final stage. © 2017 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11577/3254555
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