title: [Surgical treatment of achalasia: Better than dilations?].
abstract: Achalasia is an infrequent esophageal disease that severely impairs the quality of life of affected individuals. The etiology of this entity is not well defined and its main clinical features are dysphagia and regurgitation. The treatment of achalasia continues to be palliative and is aimed at providing functional and symptomatic relief through opening of the lower esophageal sphincter. The present article describes and evaluates the medical and surgical treatments most commonly used in clinical practice after the introduction of minimally invasive surgery, which has represented an important addition to the therapeutic alternatives. Currently, the most appropriate initial option is laparoscopic surgery, while pneumatic dilatation and botulinum toxin injection should be reserved for selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Cirugía General y Aparato Digestivo, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Franco G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Marinello
authors.forename: Eduard M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Targarona
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balagué
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monés
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trías
mesh_terms: D002404:Catheterization; D004931:Esophageal Achalasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D006801:Humans