Indore (Madhya Pradesh): By operating upon three patients suffering from achalasia cardia with Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM), Super Specialty Hospital claims to have become the only government institute in central India to have the facility.
Doctors have operated on three patients with the advanced treatment method including the one who had gone through open surgery for the treatment of the same disease.
“We have treated three patients suffering from achalasia with the advanced technique. These patients include a 21-year-old male from Ratlam, a 40-year-old female and a 45-year-old female from Indore. All these patients were suffering from achalasia, a disorder in which patients face trouble in swallowing food and even drinking water,” gastroenterologist Dr Amit Agrawal said.
He added that the 45-year-old patient was suffering from achalasia for the last 20 years and she had even gone through open surgery for the treatment of the same.
“Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an endoscopic therapy for achalasia. It uses upper endoscopy rather than conventional surgery, which involves an incision in the skin. In patients with achalasia, the lower oesophagal sphincter is too tight. The goal of all treatment of achalasia is to weaken the lower oesophagal sphincter,” Dr Agrawal said.
While explaining the procedure, the gastroenterologist said that while the patient is under general anaesthesia, the endoscopist passes the flexible endoscope through the mouth into the oesophagus. A small incision is made in the innermost layer of the oesophagus (the mucosa). The endoscope is then tunnelled down the remaining length of the oesophagus in the layer called the submucosa. In the lower oesophagus, the endoscopist cuts the muscle fibres of the lower oesophageal sphincter. The endoscope is removed and the first incision made in the mucosa is closed to complete the procedure.
What is achalasia cardia?
Achalasia, also known as oesophagal achalasia or achalasia cardia, is a rare swallowing disorder affecting about eight to 12 people per 100,000. People with achalasia have trouble with the muscles in the oesophagus, which do not work well to move swallowed food into the stomach.
