• Valentina Tassi, Marialuisa Lugaresi, Vladimiro Pilotti, Francesco Bassi, Niccolò Daddi, Frank D'Ovidio, Miguel M Leiva-Juarez, and Sandro Mattioli.
• Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna.
• Ann. Surg. 2023 Jul 1; 278 (1): e27e34e27-e34.

ObjectiveTo provide information on long-term outcomes of Heller myotomy for esophageal achalasia with or without an antireflux fundoplication.BackgroundSince the adoption of the Heller myotomy, surgeons have modified the original technique in order to balance the cure of dysphagia and the consequent cardial incontinence.MethodsTotally, 470 patients underwent primary Heller myotomy between 1955 and 2020. A long abdominal myotomy (AM) was performed in 83 patients, the Ellis limited transthoracic myotomy (TM) in 30, the laparotomic Heller-Dor (L-HD) in 202, the videolaparoscopic Heller-Dor (VL-HD) in 155. The HD was performed under intraoperative manometric assessment. Starting on 1973 these patients underwent a prospective follow-up program of timed lifelong clinical, radiological, endoscopic evaluations.ResultsMedian follow-up time was 23.06 years [interquantile range (IQR): 15.04-32.06] for AM, 29.22 years (IQR: 13.46-40.17) for TM, 14.85 years (IQR: 11.05-21.56) for L-HD and 7.51 years (IQR: 3.25-9.60) for VL-HD. In AM, relapse of dysphagia occurred in 25/71 (35.21%), in TM in 11/30 (36.66%), in LH-D in 10/201 (4.97%), in VL-HD in 3/155 (1.93%). Erosive-ulcerative esophagitis was diagnosed for AM in 28.16%, for TM in 30%, for L-HD in 8.45%, for VL-HD in 2.58%. Overall, the outcome was satisfactory in 52.11% for AM, 41.9% for TM, 89.05% for L-HD, 96.12% for VL-HD.ConclusionsThe Dor fundoplication drastically reduces postmyotomy gastroesophageal reflux. The Heller-Dor operation is a competitive option for the cure of esophageal achalasia if this operation is performed according to the rules of surgical physiology learned by means of intraoperative manometry.Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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