Introduction: per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has become a mainstream treatment for achalasia and is a promising therapy in spastic disorders.
Methods: this is a retrospective study of prospectively collected data (case series). We present the first results of the use of POEM in patients with atypical spastic esophageal motor disorders that do not satisfy current Chicago Classification criteria. Seven consecutive patients with troublesome and persistent symptoms (12-180 months) related to atypical spastic esophageal motor dysfunction were systematically assessed before and after POEM, the extent of which was tailored by manometric findings. In five of the patients, other endoscopic or surgical procedures had failed.
Results: high-resolution manometry (HRM) showed a spastic esophageal body contractile segment in varying positions and lengths along the esophageal body which did not meet Chicago Classification criteria. After POEM, dysphagia and/or chest pain had either resolved or was greatly reduced. HRM 3-6 months after myotomy showed that the regions of spastic contraction targeted by myotomy had been ablated. There were no major complications. The clinical responses were fully maintained up to the most recent assessments after POEM (range 7-44 months).
Conclusion: in our seven patients, POEM was a highly effective treatment for patients with troublesome symptoms related to atypical spastic esophageal motility disorders.