Achalasia of the cardia: long-term results of oesophagomyotomy and posterior partial fundoplication

Achalasia of the cardia is the failure of the cardiac sphincter, a muscle found in the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth and the stomach), to relax. A proper cycle of contraction and relaxation is necessary to easily move food to the stomach. It is unknown why achalasia of cardia develops. Present treatment is dilation, or the expansion, of the esophagus by a surgical method known as myotomy, which cuts the sphincter itself to relieve pressure and allow relaxation. Forty-eight patients with achalasia of the cardia were treated by myotomy. Follow-up was done on patients on the average of 5.4 years later and it was found that for 92 percent (44) of the cases, results were good to excellent; results were fair in 8 percent, or 4 cases. There was a significant decrease in sphincter pressure for all. This technique, called Heller's myotomy, is effective in the treatment of achalasia of the cardia. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)