Effect of peroral endoscopic myotomy on the quality of life in patients with achalasia: a multicenter clinical study

Objective To evaluate the life quality in patients with achalasia, and to assess the effect of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) on it. Methods MOS Item Short Health Survey (SF-36) was used to assess the quality of life in 627 patients with achalasia before and after POEM treatment, and which was also compared with that of 627 healthy control subjects. Means between two groups were compared by t test. Results Before POEM, Eckardt score of patients with achalasia was 7.80±1.20, which was 1.08±0.23 at six months after operation. Compared with that before operation, the clinical symptoms were significantly improved, and the difference was statistically significant (t=18.232, P<0.05). The score of each item of SF-36 in patient group was lower than that of healthy control group (all P<0.05). After POEM operation, the score of each item of SF-36 was significantly higher than that before operation, and the differences were statistically signficant (all P<0.05). Conclusions The quality of life in patients with achalasia was poor and affected by many factors. POEM can remarkably improve the quality of life in patients with achalasia. Key words: Achalasia; Peroral endoscopic myotomy; Quality of life