Gastric peroral endoscopic pyloromyotomy for refractory gastroparesis following esophagectomy: results from a multicenter series

Abstract Gastroparesis is predominantly caused by diabetes mellitus or vagal nerve injury post-surgery. About 30% of patients develop gastroparesis after esophagectomy with gastric pull-through. Standard treatments often fail, and endoscopic pyloromyotomy (G-POEM) has shown promising results. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of G-POEM in patients with refractory gastroparesis after esophagectomy. A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted across 18 expert centers. Patients who underwent G-POEM for refractory gastroparesis following esophagectomy from August 2014 to December 2023 were included. Inclusion criteria were confirmed gastroparesis by scintigraphy, a mean Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) of at least 1.0, and a minimum of 6 months of follow-up. The primary outcome was treatment success at 6 months, defined as a ≥50% decrease in the GCSI score. Of 113 G-POEM procedures, 108 patients (median age 65 years; 75% men) met the inclusion criteria. The primary indication for esophagectomy was adenocarcinoma (75.5%). At 6 months, 63.5% (95%CI 54.1%–72.0%) achieved clinical success, with the mean GCSI significantly decreased to 1.2 (95%CI 1.0–1.4) from 2.9 (95%CI 2.7–3.1) preprocedure. Minor adverse events occurred in 2.8% of cases. Long-term follow-up showed sustained efficacy with success rates of 54.9% and 66.1% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. G-POEM appears to be a safe and effective treatment for refractory gastroparesis in post-esophagectomy patients, achieving significant symptom relief in the majority of patients. Future prospective studies are necessary to further validate these findings and explore predictive factors for treatment success.