POEM or Surgery for Achalasia?
By: Kenneth F Binmoeller, M.D. Director, Interventional Endoscopy Services Historically, patients with achalasia underwent a surgical Heller’s myotomy. The chest and abdominal cavities are entered from the skin and then the esophageal wall is cut open to relieve the spasm of the inner muscle layer. Over the past decade, an alternative endoscopic approach called POEM [...]