• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Log in
  • Search
    • Search All SAGES Content
    • Search SAGES Guidelines
    • Search the Video Library
    • Search the Image Library
    • Search the Abstracts Archive
www.sages.org

SAGES

Reimagining surgical care for a healthier world

  • Home
    • Search
    • SAGES Home
    • SAGES Foundation Home
  • About
    • Awards
    • Who Is SAGES?
    • Leadership
    • Our Mission
    • Advocacy
    • Committees
      • SAGES Board of Governors
      • Officers and Representatives of the Society
      • Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs
      • Committee Rosters
      • SAGES Past Presidents
  • Meetings
    • SAGES NBT Innovation Weekend
    • SAGES Annual Meeting
      • 2026 Scientific Session Call for Abstracts
      • 2026 Emerging Technology Call for Abstracts
    • CME Claim Form
    • SAGES Past, Present, Future, and Related Meeting Information
    • SAGES Related Meetings & Events Calendar
  • Join SAGES!
    • Membership Application
    • Membership Benefits
    • Membership Types
      • Requirements and Applications for Active Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for Affiliate Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for Associate Active Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for Candidate Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements and Applications for International Membership in SAGES
      • Requirements for Medical Student Membership
    • Member Spotlight
    • Give the Gift of SAGES Membership
  • Patients
    • Join the SAGES Patient Partner Network (PPN)
    • Patient Information Brochures
    • Healthy Sooner – Patient Information for Minimally Invasive Surgery
    • Choosing Wisely – An Initiative of the ABIM Foundation
    • All in the Recovery: Colorectal Cancer Alliance
    • Find A SAGES Surgeon
  • Publications
    • Clinical / Practice / Training Guidelines, Statements, and Standards of Practice
    • Sustainability in Surgical Practice
    • SAGES Stories Podcast
    • Patient Information Brochures
    • Patient Information From SAGES
    • TAVAC – Technology and Value Assessments
    • Surgical Endoscopy and Other Journal Information
    • SAGES Manuals
    • MesSAGES – The SAGES Newsletter
    • COVID-19 Archive
    • Troubleshooting Guides
  • Education
    • Wellness Resources – You Are Not Alone
    • Avoid Opiates After Surgery
    • SAGES Subscription Catalog
    • SAGES TV: Home of SAGES Surgical Videos
    • The SAGES Safe Cholecystectomy Program
    • Masters Program
    • Resident and Fellow Opportunities
      • MIS Fellows Course
      • SAGES Robotics Residents and Fellows Courses
      • SAGES Free Resident Webinar Series
      • Fluorescence-Guided Surgery Course for Fellows
      • Fellows’ Career Development Course
    • SAGES S.M.A.R.T. Enhanced Recovery Program
    • SAGES @ Cine-Med Products
      • SAGES Top 21 Minimally Invasive Procedures Every Practicing Surgeon Should Know
      • SAGES Pearls Step-by-Step
      • SAGES Flexible Endoscopy 101
    • SAGES OR SAFETY Video Activity
  • Opportunities
    • Fellowship Recognition Opportunities
    • SAGES Advanced Flexible Endoscopy Area of Concentrated Training (ACT) SEAL
    • Multi-Society Foregut Fellowship Certification
    • Research Opportunities
    • FLS
    • FES
    • FUSE
    • Jobs Board
    • SAGES Go Global: Global Affairs and Humanitarian Efforts
  • OWLS/FLS
You are here: Home / Abstracts / Comparison of the long-term health-related quality of life between peroral endoscopic myotomy and laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia

Comparison of the long-term health-related quality of life between peroral endoscopic myotomy and laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia

Mingtian Wei, MD, Hang Yi, MD, Zongguan Zhou, MD, Bing Hu, MD, Ziqiang Wang, MD. Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University.

Background: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), as a novel less invasive technique, has been proved effective and safe in the treatment of achalasia, when compared to standard laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM). The existing literatures mainly pay attentions to the clinical measures, such as symptoms, physical outcomes. There is no comparison of two surgical procedures on health-related quality of life, especially achalasia-specific health-related quality of life (achalasia-DSQoL) in the long-term follow up. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare the health-related quality of life between POEM and LHM, performed by an Asian surgical practice.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive achalasia patients who underwent POEM and LHM between December 2010 and January 2013 in our institution. All the patients were followed at mean 11.7 and 20.2 months after surgery by using SF-36 and achalasia-DSQoL questionnaires, respectively. Gastroesophageal reflux disease-health related quality of life (GERD-HRQL) questionnaire was investigated in the first follow-up. And Eckardt score was recorded in the second follow-up. In addition, symptom improvements in the two follow-ups were assessed. All data analyses were conducted by software SPSS, with corresponding statistical testing method.

Results: Overall, 23 consecutive achalasia patients (10 in POEM, 13 in LHM) were enrolled in the study. Both groups were comparable on sex, BMI, ASA, symptoms duration, and prior therapies. Mean operation time and median postoperative hospital stay were 85.0 min., 78.8 min. (P=0.59) and 4.5 days, 7 days (P =0.02). Postoperative complications occurred in 20% in POEM and 15.4% in LHM. All eight domains of SF-36 in the first follow-up between two groups were adjacent with no significant difference. However, statistical lower GERD-HRQL score was observed in LHM with a mean 1.5±1.5 compared to a mean 3.8±2.4 in POEM (P=0.02). Achalasia-DSQoL scores between two groups were equivalent (14.9±2.6 vs. 13.5±2.3, P=0.19). Low Eckardt scores of 1.5±0.7 in POEM and 1.3±0.9 in LHM were estimated (P=0.61). LHM provided better dysphagia relief of 2.3±0.48 score in the first follow-up, which was significantly lower than 1.54±0.52 in POEM (P=0.004). However, there were no significant differences on heartburn and swallowing pain between two groups, were no statistical differences on improvement of each symptom in two follows.

Conclusion: In our practice, POEM achieves both equivalent long-term SF-36 and achalasia-DSQoL assessments compared with laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia, although higher gastroesophageal reflux and dysphagia rates were found in the follow-up.

View Poster

136

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky

Related


sages_adbutler_leaderboard

Hours & Info

11300 West Olympic Blvd, Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90064

1-310-437-0544

[email protected]

Monday – Friday
8am to 5pm Pacific Time

Find Us Around the Web!

  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · SAGES · All Rights Reserved

Important Links

Healthy Sooner: Patient Information

SAGES Guidelines, Statements, & Standards of Practice

SAGES Manuals