First in Suffolk County: POEM Procedure Performed by 星空无限传媒 Physician
In October 2017, 星空无限传媒 gastroenterologist Lionel S. D鈥橲ouza, MD, performed Suffolk County鈥檚 first POEM procedure 鈥 a state-of-the-art, incision-free treatment for Achalasia. Achalasia is a rare, potentially debilitating swallowing disorder that makes it hard for the food and drink you consume to enter the stomach.
With achalasia, the esophagus and the esophageal sphincter don鈥檛 work properly, so food and liquids get 鈥渂acked up鈥 in the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube that carries what you eat from your mouth to your stomach, and the sphincter is a ring of muscle, like a valve, that opens to let the food pass into the stomach.
When food sits in the esophagus for long lengths of time, the esophagus lining becomes inflamed and causes symptoms, which vary depending on the severity of the disorder. Symptoms include nausea, regurgitation, vomiting, chest pain, weight loss, heartburn and a low quality of life because eating and drinking are so difficult.
The POEM procedure
POEM (PerOral Endoscopic Myotomy) is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure that can permanently resolve symptoms of achalasia. There are no incisions on your body 鈥 everything is done internally with a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) that goes through your mouth and into the esophagus. A doctor trained in the procedure uses a small knife at the tip of the endoscope to open the passageway so food can travel from your mouth to the stomach.
POEM is the most advanced treatment currently available for achalasia. It鈥檚 done with general anesthesia in the Endoscopy Unit or in the operating room. The procedure takes about an hour, and the patient usually goes home the same day. For most patients, POEM has a short recovery time and low risk of bleeding and infection. It is a good alternative to the traditional surgery, called a Heller myotomy, which is a minimally invasive surgery that requires multiple incisions in the abdomen.
The first POEM in Suffolk County
The first patient to receive POEM at 星空无限传媒 was a 55-year-old male police chief from the East End of Long Island who was having severe symptoms. The patient did extremely well and is enjoying a much better quality of life since the surgery.
Since then, the POEM procedure has been performed routinely at the Center for Interventional Endoscopy at Stony Brook University Hospital for various diseases such as Achalasia, Gastroparesis, Zenker diverticulum and cricopharyngeal bar/cricopharyngeal achalasia. 鈥淏ecause POEM requires a high level of technical expertise, very few centers provide this option to patients. We鈥檙e happy to offer this choice to our patients,鈥 said Dr. D鈥橲ouza.
To learn more about POEM, call (631) 444-5220.
Photo Caption: Lionel S. D鈥橲ouza, MD, prepares for the POEM procedure with the endoscopy team from left, Tin Lynn Win, CRNA; Kelly Van Ness, RN; and Elizabeth DiFrietus, RT