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Doctors Perform First Scarless Myotomy Surgery in US

by Sreeraman on February 27, 2010 at 5:47 PM General Health News

UC San Diego Medical Center doctors have performed America's first incision-free myotomy, a procedure to treat achalasia, a distressing disorder which causes difficulty swallowing, regurgitation and chest pain.

The innovative surgery was performed through the mouth.

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"With dramatic advancements in medical devices, we can now perform complex surgeries through the mouth with no external incisions," said Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery and director of the UC San Diego Center for the Future of Surgery. "What we are seeing is the evolution of laparoscopic surgery into more specialized procedures that require no incisions at all."

Laparoscopic surgery to treat achalasia is called the Heller Myotomy, a two hour procedure requiring up to six small incisions in the abdomen to divide the esophageal muscle. During this traditional procedure the surgeon cuts the muscles of the lower esophagus in order to let food and liquid pass to the stomach. Horgan's technique, known as natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery, is performed entirely through the mouth in less than 90 minutes.

John Slepicka, 49, of Oceanside has suffered from chronic achalasia for two years resulting in a 30 pound weight loss.

"Over time I could not eat the foods I love. I could no longer go to restaurants. My friends said I looked unhealthy," said Slepicka. "When I tried to eat, the food would get stuck in my throat. I would swallow air or stand up to get the food down. I worried that I had cancer or a tumor that was preventing the food from dropping down."

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Doctors Perform First Scarless Myotomy Surgery in US

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