Karthik Ravi, M.D., Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic: Eating is a big part of our daily life. It's part of our social got together. And in achalasia, in some patients, that struggle to eat really erodes that, and it can have a huge impact on their quality of life.
Louis M. Wong Kee Song, M.D., Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic: In achalasia, the nerves in the esophagus are damaged that results in loss of normal contractions.
Dr. Ravi: Instead of having that normal nice emptying with squeezing and the opening of that lower esophageal sphincter, that lower esophageal sphincter doesn't open and the esophagus doesn't squeeze in achalasia. And now things just kinda sit in the esophagus.
Dr. Wong Kee Song: From 1-3 individuals in a 100 thousand population will develop achalasia in one year.
Dr. Ravi: We see anywhere from a 100 to 200 people a year, which makes us one of the busiest centers for achalasia the world. Seeing a lot of the condition helps us kind of know the nuances and provide really expert care to the patient.
Dr. Wong Kee Song: We are able to provide a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive and coordinated approach to consultations with gastroenterology and thoracic surgery specialists.
Dr. Ravi: And then we have a newer treatment called peroral endoscopic myotomy or POEM, which is kind of a marriage between endoscopic approach and a surgical approach, where we go in with a scope through the mouth, but we kind of do the cutting from the inside out rather than the outside in like we would with the surgery.
Dr. Wong Kee Song: It is minimally invasive. Doesn't require any surgical scars. And the recovery from the procedure is very short. In over 90% of cases, there is drastic or significant improvement in symptoms to the point where the patient can lead a near normal life.
Dr. Ravi: The ability to eat is one of the most important things for their quality of life. And so being able to give that back to somebody is really kind of a very rewarding thing. And it certainly is very important to the patient.