The operation was performed under general anesthesia and took 50 minutes in total. The man was later released after spending 48 hours in hospital
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At the San Giuseppe Hospital in Empoli (Florence), a highly innovative operation was performed to treat esophageal achalasia, a rare disease caused by a dysfunction of the esophageal muscles. The operation was performed by Dr. Ottaviano Tarantino – who himself heads the endoscopy department – with a 60-year-old patient who had been suffering from worsening swallowing disorders for ten years. For this type of pathology, the operation proved to be the first advanced minimally invasive operation in central Tuscany ASL, and one of the first ever performed in Tuscany.
How the surgery was performed
The operation was performed under general anesthesia and took 50 minutes in total. The man was subsequently discharged in full well-being after a 48-hour hospital stay. First performed in Japan in 2010 by Haruiro Hinoue, the operation to treat achalasia is called Poem (Per oral endoscopic myotomy): it is performed via a gastroscopy under general anesthesia, with a small incision of the esophageal mucosa about 10 cm from the cardia. “This type of surgery is well suited for all types of achalasia. Poem is surgery with a very low complication rate and combines the benefits of surgery, in terms of long-term results, with the benefits of minimal invasiveness.” Tarantino pointed out from. For the treatment of advanced operative endoscopy, Empoli’s gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy has been identified as the company’s reference center.
What is Esophageal Achalasia
Little known, esophageal achalasia is a disease of the esophagus. Classified as a rare disease, it affects 10 people per 100,000 inhabitants. Those affected have difficulty swallowing solid and liquid foods, associated with episodes of regurgitation of the ingested material. This disease, precisely because of its manifestations, causes not only an eating disorder with a significant reduction in body weight, but also a deterioration in the quality of social life.
Source: TG 24 Sky
I am Barbara Redford, a professional journalist and writer with extensive experience in news reporting. I have been writing for The News Dept since 2019, covering topics related to health and wellness. My passion is to keep people informed about the latest developments in healthcare and the medical industry.
