Laparoscopic Heller myotomy versus peroral endoscopic myotomy in children with esophageal achalasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Currently, laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) are the best treatment modalities for esophageal achalasia in children. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the efficacy of LHM and POEM.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar and Web of Science for original articles comparing LHM and POEM. All articles were analyzed with respect to operation duration, length of hospital stay, pre- and postoperative Eckardt score (ES), and pre- and postoperative lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure.

Results: A total of 32 articles, reporting on 800 children, were selected and reviewed. Because of missing diagnostic values of ES and LES in the LHM group, the meta-analysis was limited to the POEM results. According to the random-effects model, the mean ES difference between pre- and post-operation was 4.387 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.799-4.974), significantly different to zero (z=14.64, P<0.001), while the mean LES pressure difference was 3.63 mmHg mmHg (95%CI 2247-3.879), significantly different to zero (z=7.36, P<0.001). Operation duration was 130.15 min (95%CI 62.59-197.71) for the LHM method and 83.64 min (95%CI 55.14-112.14) for POEM. The pooled estimate of length of hospital stay was 3.4 days (95%CI 2.6-4.44) and it was comparable between the 2 methods.

Conclusions: POEM has positive outcomes regarding ES and LES pressure pre- and postoperatively, as well as operation duration, while the length of hospitalization was comparable between POEM and LHM. Well-designed studies are warranted to further clarify differences between the 2 methods.