SynthesisThe American journal of gastroenterology2012
Major complications of pneumatic dilation and Heller myotomy for achalasia: single-center experience and systematic review of the literature.
Synthesis in The American journal of gastroenterology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 152 citations in OpenAlex.
- Robotic versus laparoscopic heller myotomy for esophageal achalasia: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Updated Systematic Review of Achalasia, with a Focus on POEM Therapy.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2020Pooled it
- Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for the treatment of pediatric achalasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Surgical endoscopy · 2019Pooled it
- Guideline
- Trial
- Treatment of achalasia with laparoscopic myotomy or pneumatic dilatation: long-term results of a prospective, randomized study.World journal of surgery · 2015Trial
- Endoscopic stent placement for perforation after pneumatic dilation in achalasia.VideoGIE : an official video journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy · 2025Article
- The conundrum of esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction: Answers to key clinical questions.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Review
- Imaging following endoscopic and surgical treatment of achalasia.Abdominal radiology (New York) · 2025Review
- Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment of Achalasia Cardia in Uganda: A Case Report of an Adolescent Female Presenting With Dysphagia.Case reports in surgery · 2025Article
- Esophageal Perforation Following Pneumatic Dilation in Esophageal Achalasia Successfully Managed with Two-Stage Laparoscopic Surgery.Surgical case reports · 2025Article
- Mucosal injury during laparoscopic Heller cardiomyotomy: risk factors and impact on surgical outcomes.Surgery today · 2023Article
- Expanding the role of pneumatic dilation for nonachalasia patients: a comparative study.Gastrointestinal endoscopy · 2023Article
- The Role of Fundoplication after Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy in Reducing Postoperative Symptoms in Patients with Achalasia: A Controlled Clinical Trial.Middle East journal of digestive diseases · 2022Article
- Outcome of sequential dilatation in achalasia cardia patients: a prospective cohort study.Esophagus : official journal of the Japan Esophageal Society · 2022Article
- Comparison of fully coated anti-reflux metal stenting and per-oral endoscopic myotomy in patients with achalasia: a propensity score-matched retrospective study.BMC gastroenterology · 2022Article
- Diagnosis and Management of Achalasia: Updates of the Last Two Years.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Peroral endoscopic myotomy is highly effective for achalasia patients with recurrent symptoms after pneumatic dilatation.Surgical endoscopy · 2021Article
- Personalized Approach to the Management of Achalasia: How We Do It.The American journal of gastroenterology · 2020Article
- Esophageal Dysphagia in the Elderly.Current treatment options in gastroenterology · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesPneumatic dilation (PD) and laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) can be definitive therapies for achalasia; recent data suggest comparable efficacy. However, risk must also be considered. We reviewed the major complication rate of PD and LHM in a high-volume center and reviewed the corresponding literature.
methodsWe reviewed 12 years of our institution's achalasia treatment experience. During this interval, a consistent technique of PD was used utilizing Rigiflex dilators. Medical records were reviewed for post-procedure complications. We administered a telephone survey and examined medical records to assess efficacy of treatment. We also performed a systematic review of the literature for comparable clinical data and examined 80 reports encompassing 12,494 LHM and PD procedures.
resultsAt our center, 463 achalasia patients underwent 567 PD or LHM procedures. In all, 78% of the PDs used a 30-mm Rigiflex dilator. In all, 157/184 (85%) patients underwent 1 or 2 PD without any subsequent treatment. There were seven clinically significant perforations; one from PD and six from LHM. There were no resultant deaths from these perforations; two deaths occurred within 30 days of LHM from unrelated causes. Complications and deaths post-PD were significantly fewer than those post-LHM (P=0.02).
conclusionsEsophageal perforation from PD at our high-volume center was less common than often reported and lower than that associated with LHM. We conclude that, in the hands of experienced operators using conservative technique, PD has fewer major complications and deaths than LHM.
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