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AchalasiaPOEMNCT02314741

Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) for Esophageal Motility

A study testing POEM Procedure in people with Achalasia, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The investigators wish to monitor the adoption of a new, incisionless approach to performing a Heller myotomy for the surgical treatment of achalasia. The method, the Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM), will provide less-invasive treatment for esophageal achalasia, ideally providing similar if not better outcomes… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Achalasia
What is being tested?
POEM Procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
10 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
May 2014to May 2015
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age > or = to 18 years of age
  • Clinical diagnosis of achalasia
  • A candidate for Heller myotomy
  • Esophageal manometry and barium esophogram with findings supportive of achalasia diagnosis
  • Women of childbearing potential: negative urine pregnancy test
  • Able to undergo general anesthesia
  • Willing and able to give informed consent

Who cannot join

  • < 18 years of age
  • Pregnancy
  • Previous mediastinal or esophageal surgery
  • Contraindications for esophagogastroduodenoscopy
  • Presence of malignancy
  • Coagulopathy (INR 1.5)
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 100K/microliter)
  • ASA Score > Class II
  • History of mental illness
  • Any medical conditions as determined by the PI to be a contraindication to the procedure
  • Unable to give informed consent

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) for Esophageal Motility in Patients With a Clinical Diagnosis of Achalasia

The investigators wish to monitor the adoption of a new, incisionless approach to performing a Heller myotomy for the surgical treatment of achalasia. The method, the Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM), will provide less-invasive treatment for esophageal achalasia, ideally providing similar if not better outcomes (safety and efficacy) as the Heller myotomy. The investigators hope to enroll 10 patients with a clinical diagnosis of achalasia who meet inclusion criteria.

The POEM procedure has been done in many hospitals without any research associated with it. Dr. Ginsberg, Dr. Chandrasekhara and Dr. Kochman will perform the procedures after being trained. Dr. Ginsberg has personally witnessed the performance of 10 POEM procedures and has performed in a swine model. The PI is credentialed to initiate POEM at HUP with the first case to be proctored by an experienced operator. The PI will then proctor the other adopters. The investigators would like to evaluate the safety of it and the effectiveness of it. The investigators will use their symptom scores and radiology tests pre- and post-POEM to evaluate effectiveness.

Read the detailed description

An esophageal motility disorder is when muscular contractions become discoordinated or weak and interfere with movement of food down the esophagus. Some esophageal motility disorders persist long enough to cause severe problems requiring surgical intervention. Achalasia, one subtype of esophageal motility disorder that is a rare disease, can be defined by the esophageal sphincter and muscle unable to relax or dilate. Left untreated, symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, regurgitation, heartburn, and chest pain may easily turn into complications such as severe weight loss, malnutrition, coughing, pulmonary infection, pneumonia, and perforation of the esophagus. Diagnosis of esophageal achalasia can be determined by esophageal manometry and/or barium swallow esophagram. Treatment for achalasia includes balloon dilation, botulinum toxin injection and surgical intervention. Balloon dilation is performed by inserting a balloon through the esophageal sphincter, inflating the balloon, disrupting the esophageal muscle. Botox has also been known to successfully relax spastic muscle contractions of achalasia through direct injection into the esophageal muscle. Unfortunately, each alternative to surgical treatment often requires repeated administration to improve the symptoms of achalasia. Traditional treatment of achalasia has included open abdominal or thoracic surgical procedures to cut valve muscles between the esophagus and stomach (Heller Myotomy). Laparoscopic multi-port Heller myotomies have become the preferred approach, requiring 4 smaller abdominal incisions for placement of laparoscope equipment. Results of this laparoscopic technique have proven that although 2/3 of the patient population was successfully treated, a subset of this group still need repeat surgical procedures or balloon dilation. Recently, single-incision laparoscopic Heller myotomies have produced favorable results, with a single umbilical incision preferential to multiple-incision laparoscopy. We propose adoption of a new, incisionless approach to performing a Heller myotomy for the surgical treatment of achalasia. The method, the Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) is expected to provide a less-invasive treatment for esophageal achalasia, ideally providing similar if not better outcomes as the Heller myotomy and can be adopted safely and effectively at Penn Medicine.

Conditions
Achalasia
Being tested
POEM Procedure
Keywords
poem, per oral endoscopic myotomy, achalasia
Medical subject headings
Esophageal Achalasia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • POEM ProcedureProcedure or surgery

    Also called POEM, per oral endoscopic myotomy

    The procedure is performed under anesthesia.The procedure involves endoscopic electrosurgical dissection with an Olympus triangular tip knife.The myotomy is usually ~6cm long \& averages 8-10cm. After the myotomy is performed the scope is withdrawn \& inserted into the lumen to inspect the mucosa, ensure mucosal integrity \& confirm easy passage of the endoscope through the LES consistent with an adequate myotomy. The mucosal entry site is usually 2-3cm long, \& is closed with 5-10 endoscopic clips. Patients are hospitalized after procedure for observation.The patient is given IV-nutrition until post-operative day 1. An esophagram is obtained. If no loss of mucosal integrity or leak is noted, a liquid diet is started, which is continued for several days before initiating a solid diet.

Study groups in NCT02314741
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
POEM Treatment ArmExperimentalPatients treated with the POEM (per-oral endoscopic myotomy) procedure.
Receives: Procedure: POEM Procedure

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Gather Standardized Data on Patients with Achalasia Who Have Been Treated with the POEM Procedure

    The primary aim of this study is to assess safety and efficacy in the adoption of the POEM procedure compared to the typical Heller Myotomy used for the treatment of achalasia using standardized methods, including esophageal manometry, pre- and post- procedure barium swallow studies, as well as standardized measures of dysphagia symptoms due to achalasia (the Eckart score), and patient's medical records and self-reported symptoms.

    Measured: About 12 months

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Pre-Procedure versus Post-Procedure Barium Swallow Results in POEM Patients

    Assess POEM procedure's efficacy as defined by improvement of barium swallow study and dysphagia symptoms associated with achalasia. Barium swallow study will compare pre- and post-operative esophageal emptying.

    Measured: About 6 Months

  2. Pre-Procedure Versus Post-Procedure Eckart Score Results in POEM Patients

    Assess POEM procedure's efficacy as defined by improvement of dysphagia symptoms associated with achalasia. Dysphagia improvement will be assessed using a pre- and post-surgical standardized dysphagia scoring system known as an Eckart Score.

    Measured: About 6 Months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted11 Dec 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2014
  3. Primary completionMay 2015
  4. Study completionMay 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
10 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02314741
Sponsor's protocol ID
819130
Acronym
POEM
Status last verified
Feb 2018
First submitted
17 Jul 2014
Last updated
19 Feb 2018
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing POEM Procedure in people with Achalasia, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Feb 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Gather Standardized Data on Patients with Achalasia Who Have Been Treated with the POEM Procedure (time frame: About 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Feb 2018.

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