Active clinical trials for "Esophageal Achalasia"

Achalasia is a rare motility disorder of the oesophagus that is characterized by aperistalsis of the oesophagal body and dysrelaxation of the lower oesophagal sphincter (LES). Current treatment is palliative, and the aim of the treatment is to diminish the obstructive function of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). Due to this approach, the most frequent complication post-treatment is gastroesophageal reflux (GER). However, not every treated patient develops GER symptoms and the mechanism behind the occurrence of GER in treated achalasia are unclear. In this study, we aim to Investigate the incidence of reflux in patients after peroral endoscopic myotomy in patients with achalasia cardia.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy is a novel, promising endoscopic technique for achalasia considering its minimal invasive characteristics and comparable efficacy to Heller myotomy. Numerous studies have focused on the efficacy, safety as well as technical aspects of POEM. However, few efforts have been made to the issue of antimicrobial prophylaxis in POEM. Postoperative prophylactic antibiotics are universally initiated on call to the operating room or at the start of POEM and consist of second-generation cephalosporins. The mean duration of antibiotic regimen after POEM was 3 days ranging from 1 day to 7 days. Numerous studies have shown that a single dose of antibiotic prophylaxis in a variety of surgical procedures. Other studies have shown that prolonged administration of antibiotics for longer than 24 hours add no benefit in many surgeries. Prolonged use of antibiotics not only increases the costs and exposure to drug toxicity directly but also may be associated with an increased risk of acquired antibiotic resistance as well as infection with Clostridium difficile. Thus, investigators intend to perform a prospective randomized study to confirm the validity of single-dose antimicrobial prophylaxis for the prevention of infectious complications following peroral endoscopic myotomy.

Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) is a novel, promising endoscopic technique for achalasia because it is safer and more effective than traditional Heller's myotomy. However, the issue of antibiotic prophylaxis in POEM has evoked considerable controversy recently. Therefore, we conduct this study to elucidate the status of POEM-related bacteremia and procalcitonin levels in order to preliminary observe whether antibiotic prophylaxis is needed.

This study is being done to assess the esophageal muscle (swallowing tube) in patients with and without achalasia to further understand and help direct the treatment for patients with achalasia.

Spastic esophageal motility disorders induced significant symptoms including dysphagia, retrosternal pain and regurgitation. Per oral endoscopic myotomy (P.O.E.M.) is a novel approach to perform myotomy through the esophagus with long submucosal tunnel. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and safety of P.O.E.M. and translate the techniques from animal study to clinical practice in human.

Achalasia is a disease characterized by lack of peristalsis and lower esophageal sphincter failing to relax. Longitudinal muscle, outer layer of esophageal smooth muscle, is recently found to be responsible for emptying of esophagus for achalasia patients, especially for those type Ⅱcases. Clinical observations also conclude that type Ⅱ achalasia which still preserve longitudinal muscle response best to treatment, among the 3 types. Thus, with high frequent intraluminal ultrasound, clinically applied as endoscopic ultrasound, to measure the function of longitudinal muscle in achalasia patients, the current research aims to explore the influence of longitudinal muscle on the prognosis of achalasia patients after peroral endoscopic myotomy, a routine treatment.

High Resolution Manometry is a new technology that utilizes 36 solid state sensors on a thin catheter spaced at 1-cm intervals. One can more effectively measure the pressure of the esophagus. It includes a sophisticated software to display the pressures data as color topography plot using time, length of the esophagus and pressure within the entire esophagus. It is unclear if this technology improvement actually correlates with patient's symptoms.

Background: Achalasia is a primary rare esophageal motor disorder of the esophagus (annual incidence of 1:100,000 persons). Recently, a new endoscopic technique, Per-Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM), has been introduced with excellent success rates. Several studies have evaluated complications of POEM but there is a lack of knowledge on the potential risk of bacteremia or microbial translocation during the endoscopic intervention and, also, there aren't evidences regarding the use of antibiotics before/after POEM. Microbial translocation (MT) is the passage of both viable and nonviable microbes across the anatomically intact GI barrier to the mesenteric lymph nodes, and possibly other tissues. Gram-negative bacteria contain lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) coating their thin peptidoglycan cell wall. The presence of LPS, an endotoxin, in the plasma has been correlated to sepsis and septic shock through the activation of the inflammatory host defence via binding to soluble CD14 (sCD14) which initiates downstream cytokines (like IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α)) and, also, through the production of sCD14 and LPS-binding protein (LBP) by the innate immune system. Objectives: Considering POEM a clean-contaminated procedure, it should be assessed whether the post-POEM fever or systemic inflammation is a cytokinin-mediated or an infection-related fever. Thus, aim of the study is to evaluate the presence of inflammation mediators, bacteremia and microbial translocation post POEM, to guide future antibiotic prophylaxis/therapy in patients undergoing this procedure. Methods: All patients who will undergo POEM at _Investigator's Department from June 2017 to June 2019 will be enrolled in a prospective, interventional randomized clinical trial (RCT). Patients will be randomized in two groups. The Group A, prophylaxis group, will receive antibiotics (Cefazolin 2 gr i.v.) only before procedure whereas Group B, short therapy group, will receive antibiotics before POEM (Cefazolin 2 gr i.v.), continued for the first 24 hours and then per os (Amoxicilline/Clavulanic Acid 3 gr/die) for 3 days. For each patient we will be evaluated: dosage of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, sCD4, LPB, LPS and blood cultures. Expected results: we expect that the prophylaxis group vs short therapy group, has a prevalence of fever and/or systemic inflammation not higher than 10% difference of the fever related to the procedure.

This is a prospective chart review/data collection study of the per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) procedure, that will include questionnaires administered throughout the study. Subjects enrolled will be those intending to have a POEM procedure. Data will be collected and reviewed through 12 months post-op.

The AAAS gene has been known to cause achalasia, alacrima, adrenal abnormalities and a progressive neurological syndrome. A considerable proportion of achalasia patients have been known to show alacrima (decreased secretion of tears). However, the genetic mechanism between achalasia and alacrima has not been defined yet. The investigators postulated that some proportions of early-onset achalasia could be correlated with AAAS gene; thus, the investigators aimed to investigate the relationship between the AAAS gene and early-onset achalasia.