Eran Shlomovitz, MD, Radu Pescarus, MD, Ahmed Sharata, MD, Kevin M Reavis, MD, Christy M Dunst, MD, Lee L Swanstrom, MD. Providence Portland Medical Center, The Oregon Clinic..
Introduction:
Gastroparesis, a condition characterized by delayed gastric emptying, and a constellation of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, early satiety and bloating, is a debilitating condition. A variety of surgical options are available including pyloroplasty and pyloromyotomy. Although these have been shown to be effective they are associated with surgical trauma. We hypothesize that an endoscopic submucosal myotomy technique can be applied to endoscopically divide the pyloric sphincter, provide the benefits of a natural orifice procedure and improve gastric emptying in gastroparetic patients.
Methods and procedures:
Endoscopic per-oral pyloromyotomy (POP) was performed in four female patients ages 65, 59, 33 and 32 years old. All patient underwent a complete pre-operative work-up including upper endoscopy, gastric emptying study as well as a pH study and esophageal manometry if a concomitant fundoplication was performed. Three procedures were performed under laparoscopic guidance as patients required other concurrent laparoscopic procedures (see table). In one patient the procedure was fully endoscopic. The myotomy was performed by a technique similar to the one utilized in the POEM procedure. After the creation of a mucosotomy, a submucosal tunnel is established up to the duodenal bulb followed by a myotomy of the circular fibers of the pylorus. The mucosotomy is subsequently closed with clips.
Results:
Endoscopic per-oral pyloromyotomy was technically successful in all four cases and patients were discharged home on post operative day 2 or 3. There were no immediate procedural complications. One patient presented to the hospital 2 weeks post procedure with an upper GI bleed necessitating transfusions. On endoscopy a 1cm ulcer was found in the pyloric channel and an exposed vessel was clipped. The patient was subsequently discharged home on high dose proton pump inhibitors. Three month follow-up nuclear medicine gastric emptying studies (GES) are available for 3 of the 4 patients. Normalization of gastric emptying studies was demonstrated in 2 patients. Patient 3 showed improved gastric emptying half life, but unchanged residual activity at 4hrs.
| Concomitant procedure | Operative time | Blood loss | Pre-op GES | Post-op GES | |
| Patient 1 65 F |
Cholecystectomy | 102 min | Minimal | Half life: 150min Residual at 4hrs: 29% |
Half life: 36min Residual at 4hrs: 0% |
| Patient 2 59 F |
Redo- PEH repair and Nissen | 295 min | 100 cc | Half life: 90min Residual at 4hrs: 14% |
Half life: 18min Residual at 4hrs: 0% |
| Patient 3 33 F |
Nissen | 231 min | Minimal | Half life: 160-170min Residual at 4hrs: 15% |
Half life: 70-90min Residual at 4hrs: 14% |
Conclusion:
Endoscopic pyloromyotomy is a technically feasible and potentially much less morbid endoscopic surgical procedure. Early follow-up suggests objective improvement in gastric emptying. Further long-term follow-up and additional clinical experience is required to establish the role of this technique in the management of gastroparesis.