Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy Esophagea A Minimally Invasive Surgery To Treat Achalasia
Main Category: Ear, Nose and ThroatAlso Included In: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology; Medical Devices / Diagnostics; IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 21 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PDT
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OR-Live Webcast From Northwestern Memorial Hospital: December 2, 2008, 3:00 PM CST. Achalasia is a rare esophageal disease that effects thousands of people in the United States, most of whom are in their 20s to 50s, and often presents symptoms that mimic those of acid reflux, such as difficulty swallowing, heart burn and chest pain. Difficult to diagnose and often mismanaged, achalasia is the inability of the muscles in the lower esophageal sphincterto to relax during swallowing in order to move food down the esophagus and into the stomach.
Nathaniel Soper, MD, renowned gastrointestinal surgeon and chief of surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, will perform a minimally invasive surgery to treat achalasia, called Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy, during a live interactive webcast on Tuesday, December 2, at 3 p.m.
Dr. Soper and a team of surgeons at Northwestern Memorial perform 50-100 operations per year to treat achalasia, which is more than any other center in Illinois. "This minimally invasive procedure is the best option for patients with achalasia as medication typically has no effect, and endoscopic treatments often must be frequently repeated," said Dr. Soper. "Surgery involves cutting the esophageal sphincter muscle to allow food and liquid to flow into the stomach and provides immediate improvement in most patients."
The surgery to correct achalasia limits complications and allows most patients to return to work and daily activities within a week following surgery.
Dr. Soper has been at the forefront of less-invasive surgical alternatives and joined the Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at Northwestern Memorial in 2003. As director of the program, he has been instrumental in pioneering minimally invasive procedures in Chicago, including natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, or NOTES, which involves the removal of organs through the mouth or vagina.
"Minimally invasive surgeries are the wave of the future," adds Dr. Soper. "There has been an upward trend in these types of operations over the last 20 years and I think we will continue to see more traditional surgeries becoming less invasive."
For a complete list of Northwestern Memorial Hospital webcasts, visit ihealth.nmh.org.
To view a preview for this program and learn more visit: http://www.OR-Live.com
VNR: Achalasia Treatment
Video-Link Available
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Bryan Kooharian
OR-Live, Inc.
http://www.OR-Live.com
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Don't Downplay The Symptoms To Promote The Treatment
posted by Ano'n on 8 Sep 2009 at 5:05 pmSure the Heller Myotomy is a groundbreaking surgical procedure to treat achalasia. Without it many people would die from malnutrition when the sphincter finally closes shut. But, even after the surgery there are adjustments the patient must make to remain a healthy weight. Patients are not able to return to work in a week. First, the esophagus is enlarged which cuts off air flowage through the windpipe which leaves the patient dizzy much of the time. Next, there is the pain of having to still push food down the esophagus and past the sphincter muscle as the surgery cannot restablish motility. Then there is the 'have to throw up' sensation that is always with the patient because food isn't passed until enough force has been set upon it by the person with achalasia for it to move into the stomach which becomes very painful! The food still deteriorates within the esophagus and pain similar to a heart attack occurs. Finally, the patient is always having to sleep upright as to not axphysiate (or choke to death) while sleeping. There is no such thing as a good night's rest with achalasia-before or after the surgery. And, most employers don't understand the disease enough to even allow their employees to come back to work and fire them because of insurance risks, and this article just makes it worse for employees trying to return to work ofter a Heller Myotomy because they need more recovery time than a week and they cannot lift heavy objects or become overly stressed or the tightening of the esophagus only gets worse. Be honest about this disease, then proper treatment of people who have it can begin.
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