Laparoscopic esophageal myotomy versus pneumatic dilation in the treatment of idiopathic achalasia: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Ramkaji Baniya, Sunil Upadhaya, Jahangir Khan, Suresh Kumar Subedi, Tabrez Shaik Mohammed, Balvant K Ganatra, Ghassan Bachuwa Department of Internal Medicine, Hurley Medical Center, Michigan State University, Flint, MI, USA Background: Achalasia is a primary esophageal motility disorder of unknown etiology associated with abnormalities in peristalsis and lower esophageal sphincter relaxation. The disease is incurable; however, definitive treatment procedures like pneumatic dilation (PD)/balloon dilation and laparoscopic esophageal myotomy (LEM) are performed to relieve dysphagia and related symptoms. Currently, there is paucity of data comparing the outcomes of these procedures. The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the short- and long-term success rates of PD and LEM. Methods: A thorough systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, clinicaltrials.gov, and Cochrane library was conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the outcomes of PD versus LEM in the treatment of achalasia. The Mantel-Haenszel method and random effect model were used to analyze the data. RCTs with outcome data at 3-month, 1-year, and 5-year intervals were analyzed. Results: A total of 437,378 and 254 patients at 3-month, 1-year, and 5-year intervals were analyzed for outcome data. At 3 months and 1 year, PD was not as effective as LEM (odds ratio [OR]: 0.50; confidence interval [CI] 0.31–0.82; P = 0.009 and OR: 0.47; CI 0.22–0.99; P = 0.21) but at 5 years, one procedure was non-inferior to the other (OR: 0.62; 0.33–1.19; P = 0.34). Conclusion: PD was as effective as LEM in relieving symptoms of achalasia in the long-term. Keywords: achalasia, balloon dilation, pneumatic dilation, laparoscopic myotomy, Heller’s myotom

Could peak proteinuria determine whether patient with dengue fever develop dengue hemorrhagic/dengue shock syndrome? - A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Worldwide there is a need to develop simple effective predictors that can distinguish whether a patient will progress from dengue fever (DF) to life threatening dengue hemorrhagic (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). We explored whether proteinuria could be used as such a marker. METHODS: We included patients admitted to hospital with suspected dengue fever. Starting at enrollment until discharge, each patient's daily spot urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR) was measured. We classified those with confirmed dengue infection as DF or DHF (including DSS) based on WHO criteria. Peak and day of onset of proteinuria was compared between both groups. RESULTS: Compared to those with DF, patients with DHF had significantly higher median peak proteinuria levels (0.56 versus 0.08 g/day; p < 0.001). For patients with DHF, the median day of onset of proteinuria was at 6 days of defervescence, with a range of -2 to +3 days after defervescence. There were three patients with DF who did not have proteinuria during their illness; the five remaining patients with DF had a median day of onset of proteinuria of was at 6 days of defervescence with a range of 0 to +28 days. CONCLUSIONS: Peak UPCR could potentially predict DHF in patients with dengue requiring close monitoring and treatment