Early clinical experience with the POEM procedure for achalasia

BACKGROUND: Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a viable alternative to standard Heller myotomy for surgical treatment of achalasia. Outcomes from the United States, Europe and Asia have been reported. We sought to report data after the initiation of POEM in a Canadian centre. METHODS: We enrolled patients with achalasia in a research ethics board-approved pilot study. Surgeons learned the POEM procedure in a systematic manner that included …