Surgery Outcomes and Quality of Life in Achalasia's Treatment.

Objectives

Evaluate the quality of life (QoL) in patients diagnosed with achalasia who performed Heller's myotomy.

Methods

Between January 1, 2000 and March 27, 2019, 99 patients were submitted to esophagomyotomy at the São João Hospital in Oporto, Portugal. The exclusion criteria were other diagnoses, age <18 years at the date of surgery, and death. Seventy-five patients were contacted. Pre- and postoperative evaluations were performed using the achalasia disease-specific QoL questionnaire and by the Eckardt score. QoL was assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36.

Results

Forty-nine patients (65%) answered the questionnaires. The median difference in the achalasia-DSQoL questionnaire between the pre- and postoperative period was -9.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 5-12), whereas in the Eckardt score was -5.0 (IQR: 3.25-7). Lower postoperative scores correlated with higher scores on the SF-36's mental and physical summary measures (Spearman's rho [ρ] = -0.651 and ρ = -0.577 for the achalasia-DSQoL questionnaire and ρ = -0.552 and ρ = -0.515 for the Eckardt score, P < .001). Physical and mental summary measures were correlated with each other (ρ = 0.788, P < .001).

Conclusions

Heller's myotomy allows a decrease in symptoms and an increase in QoL. Patients with severe symptoms before surgery had higher postoperative scores and patients with fewer symptoms had lower postoperative scores.