Impact of Adjuvant Medical Therapies on Surgical Outcomes in Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Adjuvant medications including proton pump inhibitors (PPI), antibiotics (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole [TMP-SMX]), and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) may be prescribed for patients with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS). We describe medication use with endoscopic dilation (ED) or endoscopic resection with medical treatment (ERMT) and evaluate impact on outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: International, prospective, 3-year multicenter cohort study of 810 patients with untreated, newly diagnosed, or previously treated iSGS. METHODS: Post hoc secondary analysis of prospectively collected North American Airway Collaborative data on outcomes linked with adjuvant medication utilization. Primary outcome was time to recurrent operation, evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. Secondary outcomes of change in peak expiratory flow (PEF) and clinical chronic obstructive pulmonary disease questionnaire (CCQ) score over 12 months were compared. RESULTS: Sixty-one of 129 patients undergoing ED received PPI (47%), and 10/143 patients undergoing ED received ICS (7%). TMP-SMX was used by 87/115 patients (76%) undergoing EMRT. PPI use in the ED group did not affect time to recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53-1.88; P = .99) or 12-month change in PEF (L/min) (median [interquartile range], 12.0 [10.7-12.2] vs. 8.7 [-5.1 to 24.9]; P = .59), but was associated with 12-month change in CCQ (-0.05 [-0.97 to 0.75] vs. -0.50 [-1.60 to 0.20]; P = .04). ICS did not affect outcome measures. TMP-SMX use in ERMT did not affect time to recurrence (HR = 0.842, 95% CI: 0.2345-3.023; P = .79), PEF at 12 months (75 [68-89] vs. 81 [68-89]; P = .92), or 12-month change in CCQ (0.20 [-1.05 to 0.47] vs. -0.30 [-1.00 to 0.10]; P = .45). CONCLUSION: There is no standard practice for prescribing adjuvant medications. These data do not support that adjuvant medications prolong time to recurrence or increase PEF. Patients with iSGS and gastroesophageal reflux disease may experience some symptom benefit with PPI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:E2880-E2886, 2021.

Long-term outcomes of Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold using predilation, sizing, and postdilation protocol in a real-world patient population.

OBJECTIVE: Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVSs) have been a disappointment in the evolution of drug-eluting stents used in percutaneous coronary intervention because an excessive number of thrombotic complications have been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes of the Absorb BVS in patients treated using a predilation, proper sizing, and post-dilation implantation technique. METHODS: The records of 110 patients who had a total of 150 Absorb BVSs implanted were retrospectively analyzed. The rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), defined as the composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (MI), and target-lesion revascularization were studied using quantitative coronary angiography. RESULTS: Of the study population, 80% were male and the mean age was 60±11.3 years. The most common diagnosis was stable angina (84%). The median length of follow-up was 53 months (range: 46-59 months). The rate of predilation and postdilation was 100%, and 95%, respectively. The 4-year rate of MACEs was 20%: cardiac death in 3 patients (2.7%), target vessel MI in 9 (8.2%), and target lesion revascularization in 20 (18.2%). Definite device thrombosis occurred in 6 of 110 patients (5.5%). One case of very late scaffold thrombosis was observed at 47 months. A small BVS diameter (2.5 mm) was found to be the most powerful independent predictor of a MACE (p=0.05). CONCLUSION: The Absorb BVS was associated with an increased risk of adverse events, including late and very late device thrombosis, despite the use of a good implementation protocol.

Prevalence, predictors, prognostic significance, and effect of techniques on outcomes of coronary lesion calcification following implantation of drug-eluting stents: a patient-level pooled analysis of stent-specific, multicenter, prospective IRIS-DES registries.

AIMS: There is limited information on the clinical relevance and procedural impact of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in the contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) setting. This study sought to determine the incidence and clinical significance of procedural techniques on the outcomes in 'real-world' patients with CAC undergoing PCI with drug-eluting stents (DESs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Using patient-level data from seven stent-specific, prospective DES registries, we evaluated 17 084 patients who underwent PCI with various DES types between July 2007 and July 2015. The primary outcome was target-vessel failure (TVF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction, or target-vessel revascularization. Outcomes through 3 years (and between 0-1 and 1-3 years) were assessed according to CAC status (none/mild vs. moderate/severe) and stenting technique (predilation or post-dilation). Among 17 084 patients with 22 739 lesions included in the pooled dataset, moderate to severe CAC was observed in 11.3% of patients (10.1% of lesions). Older age, lower BMI, diabetes, hypertension, family history of coronary artery disease, and renal failure were independent predictors of moderate/severe CAC. The presence of moderate/severe CAC was significantly associated with an adjusted risk of TVF at 3 years [hazard ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.19-1.58; P < 0.001]. For severe CAC, optimal lesion preparation with predilation was associated with a lower 3-year rate of TVF (no vs. yes, 22.3 vs. 12.8%), in which the effect of predilation was prominent at the late period of 1-3 years (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.12-0.69; P = 0.003) than at the early period through 1 year (hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.37-3.71; P = 0.80). However, post-dilation (with a high-pressure noncompliant balloon) had no effect on the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, moderate/severe CAC was common (~10%) and strongly associated with TVF during 3 years of follow-up. For severe CAC, optimal lesion preparation with pre-balloon dilation has a significant effect on long-term outcomes, especially during the late period beyond 1 year. Clinical Trial Registration - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01186133.

National Database Outcomes of Esophageal Dilations.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To better assess rates of postoperative complications and mortality following esophageal dilation, and to identify factors associated with adverse outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Observational, retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We queried a national database of insurance claims for Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes representing esophageal dilation performed between 2011 and 2017. Patients aged 18 to 100 who were continuously enrolled with their insurance provider were included. Demographic information, additional CPT codes, concomitant diagnoses, and anticoagulant medication data were collected for all patients included. Postoperative mortality was assessed and International Classification of Diseases (ICD)9/10 codes for complications, including esophageal perforation, hemorrhage, mediastinitis, and sepsis were flagged. RESULTS: We identified 202,965 encounters for esophageal dilation. Of these procedures, 193 were performed on a patient who underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) during the study period and was analyzed separately. Another 244 dilations were excluded due to repeat entries. Of the remaining 202,528 procedures remaining, 42,310 were repeat dilations in the same patient. Data analysis was confined to each patient's initial dilation. 160,218 initial dilations remained. Of these, 62,107 were performed on male patients and 98,111 were performed on female patients. The average age was 57.7 years. There were 12 mortalities within 30 days postoperatively, representing 0.0075% of all dilations. Esophageal perforation and esophageal hemorrhage were the most common reported complications, with 139 and 110 occurrences, respectively. The overall per-dilation complication rate was 0.215%. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from a national insurance claim database suggests that esophageal dilation is a safe procedure with a low rate of serious complications and a 30-day all-cause mortality rate of less than 1 per 10,000 dilations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:2436-2440, 2021.

Systematic review: medical therapy for fibrostenosing Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Medical therapy and/or endoscopic balloon dilation with intralesional therapies are options for the treatment of small bowel fibrostenotic Crohn's disease (CD). AIM: To perform a systematic review summarising evidence for efficacy of systemic and endoscopic intralesional medical therapy in established small bowel strictures in adult CD patients. METHODS: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL and Scopus was conducted. Primary outcomes were rates of surgical resection and repeat endoscopic dilation. Pooled event rates from random effects models across studies with 95% confidence intervals were reported. RESULTS: Ten studies describing systemic medical therapy and eight studies of intralesional injection were included. One randomised controlled trial each for systemic therapy and intrastricture injection were identified. Only observational studies were found for systemic biologic therapies, which exclusively included tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists, while intralesional therapies all involved corticosteroids except for one study that evaluated infliximab. Pooled event rates for surgical resection after systemic and intralesional therapy were 28.3% (95% CI: 18.2%-41.3%) and 18.5% (95% CI: 8.3%-36.2%), respectively over a median follow-up of 23 months (range 5.5-105.8), and 21.8 months (range 5-47). Risk of repeat endoscopic balloon dilation in those with intralesional therapy was 58.3% (95% CI: 36.6%-77.3%) over a median follow-up of 21.8 months (range 5-47). CONCLUSIONS: There are no favoured therapies for patients with stricturing small bowel CD. Data are lacking for ustekinumab and vedolizumab. No endoscopic intralesional medications provided a clear benefit for prevention of repeat EBD or surgery.

Eccrine duct dilatation in neutrophilic scarring alopecias.

BACKGROUND: Eccrine duct dilatation (EDD) has been noted to occur significantly more often in primary lymphocytic scarring alopecias compared with non-scarring alopecias, thus serving as a possible histopathologic marker for primary scarring alopecias with a lymphocytic infiltrate. This study aims to determine the presence and role of EDD in primary neutrophilic scarring alopecias. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review comparing primary scarring alopecia (neutrophilic, n = 90; lymphocytic, n = 100) and non-scarring alopecia (n = 123) for presence of EDD, seen in Boston University School of Medicine between 2013 and 2017. RESULTS: EDD was more commonly seen in primary neutrophilic scarring (62.2%, 56/90) and primary lymphocytic scarring alopecias (54.0%, 54/100) than in non-scarring alopecias (25.2%, 31/123) (P < 0.001). Albeit uncommon, non-scarring alopecias exhibited the biggest ratio of dilated eccrine duct lumen to background duct lumen (14.33), followed by lymphocytic (10.99) and neutrophilic scarring alopecias (6.66). CONCLUSION: EDD is seen more frequently in primary scarring alopecias compared with non-scarring alopecias and usually found in sections containing inflammation and dermal fibrosis, serving as a possible histopathologic clue for a scarring process. Non-scarring alopecias have significantly fewer but considerably larger EDD which, may imply a different pathologic cause.

Factors affecting the outcome of endoscopic dilatation in refractory post-corrosive oesophageal stricture in Egyptian children: a single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: An important complication of corrosive ingestion is oesophageal stricture. Improvements in endoscopes and accessories have supported an increase in the number of patients who are conservatively treated with endoscopic dilations. In this study, we aimed to detect factors affecting the outcome of endoscopic dilatation for refractory post-corrosive oesophageal stricture. METHODS: This study was carried out in the Paediatric Endoscopy Unit in the Children's Hospital and included 100 children older than 2 years of age of both sexes who had an established diagnosis of post-corrosive oesophageal stricture on repeated endoscopic dilatation sessions. The duration of the condition was more than 6 months, and dilatation failed to achieve a diameter of 14 mm during the first five sessions at 2-week intervals (refractory), excluding other causes of oesophageal stricture. RESULTS: Males represented 63% of patients. The mean age of enrolled children was 5.9 ± 2.6 years; 90% of patients ingested an alkaline corrosive substance (potash). The total number of dilatation sessions ranged from 16 to 100, with a mean number of sessions ranging from 37.2 ± 14.9. Fifty-four patients (54%) were well controlled by regular endoscopic dilatation with good clinical and endoscopic outcomes, and no more dilatations were needed. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic dilation is an effective method for managing refractory post-corrosive oesophageal strictures that require a long follow-up period. There are a lot of factors affecting the outcome.

Immediate dilation in esophageal food impaction is safe and effective but performed infrequently: observations from a large Midwest US cohort.

This study aimed to determine the rate and safety of immediate esophageal dilation for esophageal food bolus impaction (EFBI) and evaluate its impact on early recurrence (i.e. prior to interval esophageal dilation) from a large Midwest US cohort. We also report practice patterns among community and academic gastroenterologists practicing in similar settings. We identified adult patients with a primary discharge diagnosis for EFBI from January 2012 to June 2018 using our institutional database. Pregnant patients, incarcerated patients, and patients with esophageal neoplasm were excluded. The primary outcome measured was rate of complications with immediate esophageal dilation after disimpaction of EFBI. Secondary outcomes were recurrence of food bolus impaction prior to scheduled interval endoscopy for dilation, practice patterns between academic and private gastroenterologists, and adherence to follow-up endoscopy. Two-hundred and fifty-six patients met our inclusion criteria. Esophageal dilation was performed in 46 patients (18%) at the time of disimpaction. A total of 45 gastroenterologists performed endoscopies for EFBI in our cohort. Twenty-five (62%) did not perform immediate esophageal dilation, and only 5 (11%) performed immediate dilation on greater than 50% of cases. Academic gastroenterologists performed disimpaction of EFBI for 102 patients, immediate dilation as performed in 20 patients and interval dilation was recommended in 82 patients. Of these 82, only 31 patients (38%) did not return for interval dilation. Four patients who did not undergo immediate dilation, presented with recurrent EFBI prior to interval dilation, within 3 months. None of the patients had complications. Complications with immediate esophageal dilation after disimpaction of EFBI are infrequent but are rarely performed. Failure of immediate dilation increases the risk of EFBI recurrence. Given poor patient adherence to interval dilation, immediate dilation is recommended.

Medicare Reimbursement for Balloon Catheter Dilations Among Surgeons Performing High Volumes of the Procedures to Treat Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Importance: Chronic rhinosinusitis is among the most common and costly conditions treated by physicians. After failure of medical treatment, surgical intervention in the form of endoscopic sinus surgery is traditionally offered. Balloon catheter dilation (BCD) has become a less-invasive alternative with increasing popularity among otolaryngologists. Objective: To evaluate the most recent BCD data in the Medicare population, with a specific focus on the percentage of procedures performed by surgeons who perform high volumes of this procedure, their reimbursements, and their national geographic distributions. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective review included data from 2011 through 2017 from Medicare Part B National Summary Data Files and Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data. Patients with procedures including Current Procedural Terminology codes 31295 (maxillary sinus dilation), 31296 (frontal sinus dilation), and 31297 (sphenoid sinus dilation) were included. Exposures: Balloon catheter dilation of the paranasal sinuses. Main Outcomes and Measures: Total and mean reimbursements over time to physicians for BCDs, as well as the percentage of BCDs performed by and reimbursed to ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons who perform high volumes of BCDs (>10 procedures) in a given year. Results: The total number of BCDs rose from 7496 in 2011 to 43 936 in 2017 (a 486% increase). The overall reimbursement increased from $11 773 049 in 2011 to $63 927 591 in 2017 (a 433% increase). From 2012 to 2016, ENT surgeons who performed high volumes of the procedures rose from 101 to 382 surgeons (a 270% increase). In 2016, 25 214 of 41 960 BCDs (60.1%) were performed by ENT surgeons performing high volumes of the procedure, compared with 5603 of 13 109 procedures (42.7%) in 2012. In a line of best fit, at the 75th percentile of procedure volume, there was an increase of 4.2 BCDs in the median number of procedures done per physician per year, compared with an increase of 1.5 BCD procedures per physician per year in the line of best fit for the 50th percentile. Conclusions and Relevance: Balloon catheter dilation continues to increase in popularity among otolaryngologists treating chronic rhinosinusitis. Most BCDs are performed by ENT surgeons who perform high volumes of the procedure.

Outcomes of Endoscopic Dilation in Patients with Esophageal Anastomotic Strictures: Comparison Between Different Etiologies.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This retrospective study was aimed at assessing the efficacy of endoscopic dilation for esophageal anastomotic strictures, and to compare response between caustic anastomotic strictures (CAS) and non-caustic anastomotic strictures (NCAS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with anastomotic strictures (enrolled during January 1996-December 2015) were analyzed. Short- and long-term outcomes of dilation, in terms of clinical success, refractory, and recurrent strictures were compared between NCAS and CAS. Patients with refractory and recurrent strictures were managed with adjunctive therapy including intralesional steroids. Factors predicting refractoriness at start of dilation and reasons for more than ten lifetime dilations were also evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 142 patients, 124 (mean age-44.02; males-74) underwent dilation. Clinical success was achieved in 113 (91.3%) patients requiring a median [Interquartile range (IQR)] of 4 (2-10) sessions. The number of dilations to achieve clinical success, refractory strictures, and recurrent strictures, and the use of adjunctive therapy were significantly higher for CAS than for NCAS. Intralesional steroid use decreased periodic dilation index (PDI) significantly in CAS. Caustic etiology and starting dilation diameter of < 10 mm were found to be predictors of refractoriness, with the former alone being an independent predictor of more than ten lifetime dilations. No patient had free perforation; however, five required revision surgery. CONCLUSION: Patients with CAS fared worse than those with NCAS in terms of number of dilations, refractoriness, recurrence of strictures, and need of adjunctive therapy. Endoscopic dilation can successfully ameliorate dysphagia due to anastomotic strictures in a majority of patients.

Pediatric Esophageal Dilatations: A Cross-Specialty Experience.

Aim of the Study: Esophageal dilatations are commonly performed in pediatric patients who have undergone an esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) repair or following caustic injury. We sought to compare the practice of esophageal dilatation across different specialties. Methods: We analyzed all patients who had an esophageal dilatation at our center between April 2014 and December 2018. Patients were identified via prospectively maintained databases and clinical coding records. Patients had a combination of dilatations under each specialty: interventional radiology (IR), surgery, and gastroenterology. Results: Thirty-five individual patients underwent 226 dilatations, median dilatations per patient was 3 (1-40). The median age at first dilatation was 18 months (1-194 months). Sixty-eight percent of patients had a previous EA/TEF repair. IR performed 59% of dilatations, surgeons 26%, and 15% by gastroenterologists. Surgeons more frequently were performing initial dilatations (P < .05) and performed more dilatations in EA/TEF patients (P < .0001). There was a significant difference between the time from a surgical dilatation until the next dilatation, 3.7 months, compared with an IR dilatation, 1.8 months (ANOVA, P < .05). Surgeons more frequently increased the size of balloon used (57% versus 33% versus 39%, P < .01). There was no significant difference in balloon size between specialties or in the incremental increase in size between subsequent dilatations. There was one postprocedure perforation, managed conservatively (complication rate = 0.4%). Conclusion: We have demonstrated that on average, patients wait longer after a surgical dilatation until their next procedure, and surgical teams are more likely to increase the size of the dilating balloon. Surgeons tend to be more involved in their postoperative patients in the initial phases of stricture management. Our results suggest the feasibility and safety of a multispecialty approach for these patients.

Durability of pneumatic dilation monotherapy in treatment-naive achalasia patients.

BACKGROUND: Pneumatic dilation (PD) is often billed as a "short term" treatment for achalasia but anecdotally can last years. This study sought to explore how long a single pneumatic dilation may induce symptom remission in a treatment-naïve achalasia patient. METHODS: A single center, retrospective chart review of patients with an ICD-9 or - 10 code of achalasia between 2005 and 2017 was performed. Treatment naïve patients with manometric diagnosis of primary achalasia were included. Outcomes (success or failure); single vs multiple PD; age; and estimated duration of effect were evaluated. Each patient underwent a single PD unless re-intervention was required for relapse. RESULTS: 83 patients (52% female, median 51.6 ± 3.6 years) were included. 43% underwent 2 PD and 13% underwent 3 PD. There was no significant relation between age, gender, and number of PDs. After 1 PD, 87.5% of patients reported > 1 year of symptom remission. 80.5% of relapsed patients reported success after a 2nd dilation. 1 PD was more likely to result in success than multiple PDs (p < 0.001). The measured median duration of remission after 1 PD was 4.23 years, and for 2 PDs, 3.71 years. The median estimated remission time after 1 PD was 8.5 years (CI 7.3-9.7, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: PD is a safe, durable treatment for achalasia. A single PD is likely to last years. A second PD, if required, also has a high likelihood of success.

Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation with minor sphincterotomy for periampullary diverticular papilla.

Background To observe the outcome of endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) with minor sphincterotomy (mEST) for periampullary diverticular papilla related to stone removal. Methods Patients with confirmed periampullary diverticulum (PAD) during stone removal from May 2016 to April 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. The Chi-square test with Yates correction or Fisher's exact test was used for the analysis of categorical data and a normality test was applied for continuous data. Results A total of 154 consecutive patients (89 males and 65 females, aged 51-87 years) with confirmed PAD during stone removal were included in the study. Cases were divided into the conventional EST group (n = 79) and the mEST plus EPLBD group (n = 75). The number of patients with an initial treatment success was greater in the EPLBD+mEST group compared with the EST group (96% vs 86.1%, p=0.03) and the procedure time for EPLBD+mEST was shorter than that for EST alone (46.1±13.7 min vs 53.3±11.6 min, p=0.01). The rate of complications in the EPLBD+mEST group was lower than in the EST group (17.3% vs 32.9%, p=0.04). When PAD was >15 mm, the initial success rate was higher (92.6% vs 73.9%, p=0.04) and the rate of overall complications was lower (14.8% vs 41.7%, p=0.03) in the EPLBD+mEST group than those in the EST group. Although, this was similar when PAD was <15 mm. Conclusion EPLBD+mEST might be safer and more effective than conventional EST alone for stone removal in the presence of PAD.

Heller myotomy versus endoscopic balloon dilatation for achalasia: A single center experience.

This study aimed to compare clinical results, symptom relief, quality of life and patient satisfaction after the 2 most common procedures for achalasia treatment: laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) and endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD).Patients treated at University Hospital of Heidelberg with LHM or EBD were included. A retrospective chart review of perioperative data and a prospective follow-up of therapeutic efficiency, Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) and patient satisfaction was conducted.Follow-up data (mean follow-up: 75.1 ±â€Š53.9 months for LHM group and 78.9 ±â€Š45.6 months for EBD) were obtained from 36 patients (19 LHM; 17 EBD). Eckardt score (median (q1,q3): 2 (1,4) in both groups, P = .91, GIQLI (LHM: 117 (91.5, 126) vs EBD: 120 (116, 128), P = .495) and patient satisfaction (3 (2,3) vs 3 (2,4), P = .883) did not differ between groups. Fifteen patients (78.9%) in LHM group and 11 (64.7%) in EBD group (P = .562) stated they would undergo the intervention again. All patients with EBD had at least 2 dilatations (100%), whilst only 2 patients (10.5%) had dilatation after LHM (P < .001). There were no complications after EBD, but 2 after LHM (10.5%, P = .517).Both LHM and EBD are able to control symptoms and provide similar quality of life and patient satisfaction. However, reintervention rate was higher following EBD, hence LHM provided a more sustained treatment than EBD.

Trends in urethral stricture management over two decades.

OBJECTIVES: To identify trends in the management of urethral stricture disease in Australia, assess changes in the standard of care, and examine the availability of genitourinary reconstructive surgery. METHODS: Data on eight stricture management procedures were collected online via Medicare Item Reports from the Australian Government Department of Human Services, and then matched to population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. A survey was disseminated via the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) asking whether active members performed urethroplasty and whether this was done in a rural, regional or metropolitan setting. RESULTS: Over a 22-year period, there were 140 540 endoscopic procedures and 5136 urethroplasties, with 27.4 endoscopic procedures per urethroplasty. From 1994 to 2016, the per capita number of passage of sounds and dilatation procedures decreased by 74% and 75%, respectively, with increases in use of optical urethrotomy of 70% and in single-stage urethroplasty of 144%. Overall, the ratio of all endoscopic procedures vs urethroplasty decreased from 58.9 to 16.8. There were as few as 16 surgeons in the USANZ performing urethroplasty, with seven providing this service in regional areas. Seven had formal fellowship training. CONCLUSION: There has been a clear shift from repetitive endoscopic procedures towards urethroplasty, but the former still make up the majority of interventions. This may be explained by patients not being referred for urethroplasty earlier in the course of disease and there appears to be a gap in genitourinary reconstructive expertise in regional and rural areas.

Balloon Sinuplasty Utilization in the Pediatric Population: A National Database Perspective.

OBJECTIVE: Balloon sinuplasty (BS) is a surgical management option in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis. The purpose of this study was to examine BS utilization among children with a national database. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: National pediatric database. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All cases of children aged ≤18 years who underwent BS or traditional endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) 5 years before and after the introduction of BS billing codes were studied with the Pediatric Health Information System database. We evaluated overall trends, demographics, performing physicians, readmissions, and cost data. RESULTS: A total of 14,079 patients met inclusion criteria: 13,555 underwent traditional ESS and 524 had a BS procedure. There was no significant increase in BS rates between 2011 and 2016. BS was more commonly performed among younger children than ESS (median age [interquartile range], 6 years [4-10] vs 9 years [6-13]; P < .001). There were 23 (4.4%) readmissions within 30 days in the balloon cohort versus 474 (3.5%) in the ESS cohort. The median cost of balloon maxillary antrostomy (US $6560 [$5420-$8250]) was higher than that of traditional maxillary antrostomy (US $5630 [$4130-$7700], P < .001). Physicians who performed BS had a larger volume of ESS procedures when compared with those who did not perform BS. CONCLUSION: Rates of BS performance in the pediatric population have not increased over time. Results showed no difference in readmission rates between BS and ESS. BS was associated with higher costs as compared with ESS. The role of BS in the pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis population remains unclear.

The treatment of achalasia patients with esophageal varices: an international study.

Background: Treatment options for achalasia include endoscopic and surgical techniques that carry the risk of esophageal bleeding and perforation. The rare coexistence of esophageal varices has only been anecdotally described and treatment is presumed to carry additional risk. Methods: Experience from physicians/surgeons treating this rare combination of disorders was sought through the International Manometry Working Group. Results: Fourteen patients with achalasia and varices from seven international centers were collected (mean age 61 ± 9 years). Five patients were treated with botulinum toxin injections (BTI), four had dilation, three received peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), one had POEM then dilation, and one patient underwent BTI followed by Heller's myotomy. Variceal eradication preceded achalasia treatment in three patients. All patients experienced a significant symptomatic improvement (median Eckardt score 7 vs 1; p < 0.0001) at 6 months follow-up, with treatment outcomes resembling those of 20 non-cirrhotic achalasia patients who underwent similar therapy. No patients had recorded complications of bleeding or perforation. Conclusion: This study shows an excellent short-term symptomatic response in patients with esophageal achalasia and varices and demonstrates that the therapeutic outcomes and complications, other than transient encephalopathy in both patients who had a portosystemic shunt, did not differ to disease-matched patients without varices.

Incidence and risk factors for esophageal cancer following achalasia treatment: national population-based case-control study.

The objective of this study is to identify the incidence of and risk factors associated with the development of esophageal cancer in treated achalasia patients in a national cohort. Patients with esophageal achalasia diagnosed and receiving a treatment between 2002 and 2012 were identified in England. Patient and treatment factors were compared between individuals who developed esophageal cancer and those that did not using univariate and multivariate analyses. A total of 7487 patients receiving an interventional treatment for esophageal achalasia were included and 101 patients (1.3%) developed esophageal cancer. The incidence of esophageal cancer was 205 cases per 100,000 patient years at risk. Patients who developed esophageal cancer were older and more commonly primarily treated with pneumatic dilation (82.2% vs. 60.3%; P < 0.001). In the esophageal cancer group, there was an increase in the number of patients requiring reinterventions (47.5% vs. 38.0%; P = 0.041) and the average total number of reinterventions per patient (1.2 vs. 0.8; P = 0.026). Multivariate analysis suggested associations between increased reintervention following both surgical myotomy (HR = 5.1; 95%CI 1.12-23.16) and pneumatic dilation (HR = 1.48; 95%CI 0.95-2.29), and esophageal cancer risk. Increasing patient age and reintervention following primary achalasia treatment are important potential risk factors for the development of esophageal cancer. Treated achalasia patients with symptom recurrence should be carefully evaluated for potential development of esophageal cancer prior to considering reintervention, and increased vigilance may help diagnose esophageal cancer in these individuals at an early stage.

Outcomes of pneumatic dilatation and Heller's myotomy for achalasia in England between 2005 and 2016.

INTRODUCTION: Achalasia is a disorder characterised by failed relaxation of the lower oesophageal sphincter. The aim of this study was to examine, at a national level, the long-term outcomes of achalasia therapies. METHODS: Hospital Episode Statistics include diagnostic and procedural data for all English National Health Service-funded hospital admissions. Subjects with a code for achalasia who had their initial treatment between January 2006 and December 2015 were grouped by treatment; pneumatic dilatation (PD) or surgical Heller's myotomy (HM). Procedural failure was defined as time to a further episode of the same therapy or a change to a different therapy. Up to three PDs were permitted without being considered a therapy failure. RESULTS: 6938 subjects were included; 3619 (52.2%) were men and median age at diagnosis was 59 (IQR 43-75) years. 4748 (68.4%) initially received PD and 2190 (31.6%) HM. The perforation rate following PD was 1.6%. Mortality at 30 days was 0.0% for HM and 1.9% for PD, and <8% after perforation following PD. Factors associated with increased mortality after PD included age quintile 66-77 (OR 4.55 (95% CI 2.00 to 10.38), p<0.001), >77 (9.78 (4.33 to 22.06), p<0.001); Charlson comorbidity score >4 (2.87 (2.08 to 3.95), p<0.001); previous HM (2.47 (1.33 to 4.62), p<0.001); and repeat PD 1-3 (1.58 (1.15 to 2.16), p=0.005), >3 (1.97 (1.21 to 3.19), p=0.006). Durability of up to 3 PD and HM over 10 years of follow-up was 86.2% and 81.9%, respectively (p<0.001). DISCUSSION: The efficacy of PD for achalasia appears to be greater than HM over 10 years. There was no mortality associated with HM, but 1.9% of subjects died within 30 days of PD. Mortality was associated with increasing age, comorbidity, previous HM and repeat PD.

Thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy for achalasia in the pediatric population: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Achalasia is an extremely rare disease in children (0.1 per 100,000 individuals). Standard treatments for this include pneumatic dilation and esophagomyotomy. Minimally invasive esophagomyotomies have increasingly been used owing to improved postoperative pain and length of stay. We describe our experience with thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy in this population. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of all patients at our institution who underwent thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy for achalasia from 1995 to 2016. We used endoscopic guidance during all procedures. No fundoplication was performed. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included in this study. Thirteen patients underwent pneumatic dilations prior to their operation with a median of 3 dilations. Two patients had a mucosal injury during the case. There were no conversions to an open procedure. Median length of stay was 2 days. After the procedure, 97% of patients had initial symptom relief. Eight patients (26%) required postoperative pneumatic dilations for recurrent symptoms; there was a greater chance of this (OR 8.5) if they had a preoperative dilation. No patients required a fundoplication for reflux postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy is a safe and effective procedure for achalasia in the pediatric population. It should be considered as an alternative to the laparoscopic approach for these patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.