Abstract
Achalasia is a chronic and rare disorder of esophageal motility. It is characterized by spastic or absent esophageal contractions and impairment of relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. Treatment modalities include smooth muscle-relaxing medications, botulinum toxin injections to lower the esophageal sphincter, pneumatic dilatation, and surgical interventions. Pneumatic dilatation is deemed to be an effective treatment option and is the most widely used non-surgical intervention. We designed this prospective study to look for any possible correlation between balloon pressure used in pneumatic dilatation, manometric findings, and patient characteristics. And to find any possible association between the need for repeat pneumatic dilatations and factors like gender, age, duration of symptoms, Eckardt score, daily retrosternal pain, manometric findings, and balloon pressures. Thirty-one patients with confirmed achalasia were enrolled in the study. All of these patients underwent pneumatic dilatation. Pearson's correlation coefficient was found to be 0.234 (p-value 0.23) between the required balloon pressure and integrated relaxation pressure (IRP). Six of these patients required repeat pneumatic dilatations. No statistically significant association was noted between the need for repeat intervention and gender, age over 40, age under 20, Eckardt score over 10, daily chest pain, duration of symptoms over two years, and IRP over 30 mmHg. In conclusion, it could be said that pneumatic dilatation does not carry a 100% success rate, and repeat sessions are needed in many of the patients with achalasia. So, long-term follow-up is crucial. Managing expectations and making a realistic plan with proper informational care is important at the beginning of treatment.