O17 A PROPENSITY SCORE-MATCHED CASE-CONTROL STUDY TO COMPARE POEM AND LAPAROSCOPIC HELLER MYOTOMY IN THE TREATMENT OF ESOPHAGEAL ACHALASIA

Abstract Background We designed this study with the aim of comparing POEM and laparoscopic Heller myotomy+Dor fundoplication (LHD) by matching 2 groups of consecutive patients, treated in 2 high-volume Centers, with the propensity score (PS). Methods Patients undergoing treatment for achalasia from 2014 to 2017 were selected: by applying the PS, 140 patients in both centers were matched. LHD and POEM were performed following established techniques. Patients were followed with clinical, endoscopic and pH-manometry evaluations. Results POEM required a shorter operation time (47 min [35-57]) and postoperative stay (2 days [2-2]) compared to LHD (95 min [85-105] and 3 days [3-3], respectively, p<0.001). No mortality was recorded in either group. Seven complications were recorded in the POEM group (5 mucosal perforations) and 3 in the LHD group (3 mucosal perforations)(p=0.33). At a median follow up of 24 mos. [15-30] for POEM and 31 mos. [15-41] for LHD (p<0.05), the median Eckardt score did not differ: moreover, 99.3% of the POEM patients and 97.7% of the LHD patients showed an Eckardt score ≤ 3 (p <0.12). Four years after the treatment, the probability to be symptom free was > 90% for both groups (98.2% for POEM and 93.9% for LHD, p=0.2, Log-rank test). HR-Manometry showed a similar reduction in the LES pressure and 4sIRP; however, 24-h pH-monitoring showed an abnormal exposure to acid in 38.4% of POEM patients, as compared to 17.1% of LHD patients (p<0.01) and esophagitis was found in 37.4% of the POEM and 15.2% of LHD patients (p<0.05). Finally, the need for PPI therapy was higher in the POEM group (38.8%) compared to the LHD group (15.1%), p<0.001.