title: Quality of life after Heller-Dor's cardiomyotomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the surgical outcomes of Heller's Cardiomyotomy with Dor fundoplication by laparoscopy (HDL) and to assess its impact on patients' quality of life and on esophageal manometry data.
  
  
  METHODS
  60 patients with esophageal achalasia, operated on between 2001 and 2007, were studied retrospectively. Before surgery, the demographics and the diagnostic test results were recorded. The patients submitted a dysphagia score for quality of life before and after surgery, and lower esophageal sphincter pressure (PLES) was measured. We also studied the difference produced in quality of life
  
  
  RESULTS
  37 women and 23 men were followed. Mean age was 41.08 (12-87). There was no mortality and no conversions. The mean time of diet resumption was 1.6 day. The outcome was considered excellent in 80% of the series and intermediate in 20% of the series. The mean dysphagia score before surgery was 9.03 points, and after surgery, 1.7 point (maximum of 10 points), p=0.0001. The mean score decrease between pre- and postoperative scores was 7.33 points (87.17%). The mean PLES before surgery was 32.41 mmHg, and 12.7 mmHg after.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HDL is a safe procedure and changed significantly the subjective quality of life scores, as well as the objective PLES means.
authors.affiliation: General Surgery, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. drfmadureira@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Fernando A V
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Madureira
authors.forename: Fábio A V
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Madureira
authors.forename: Angelo Bustani
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Loss
authors.forename: Delta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Madureira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002299:Cardia / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D004931:Esophageal Achalasia / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D018662:Fundoplication / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult