On the design and development of climbing and walking robots for the maritime industries

Modern robotic systems are increasingly powerful in terms of sensor fusion and mobility. Present technological progress allows advanced robots to cope progressively much better also with complex environments such as those which are frequently found in the maritime industries. An overview of the development of mobile robots (climbing and walking) is presented with examples taken from some research projects carried out by the Industrial Automation Institute of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research

Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy is Effective and Safe in Non-Achalasia Esophageal Motility Disorders: An International Multicenter Study

Background: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an effective minimally invasive alternative modality to Heller myotomy for the treatment of achalasia. However, the efficacy of POEM in non-achalasia esophageal motility disorders has not yet been well demonstrated. These disorders include spastic esophageal conditions such as esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO), diffuse esophageal spasm (DES), and Jackhammer esophagus (JE). Aims: The objective of this international multicenter study was to assess the clinical outcomes of POEM in patients with non-achalasia disorders, namely DES, JE, and EGJOO, in a large cohort of patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study at 11 centers. Consecutive patients who underwent POEM for EGJOO, DES, or JE between January 2014 and September 2016 were included, patients with achalasia were excluded. Rates of technical success (completion of myotomy), clinical response (symptom improvement and Eckardt score ≤ 3), and adverse events (AEs, severity per ASGE lexicon) were ascertained. LES and cardia myotomy was performed in all cases, although it is unknown if this is essential in patients with DES and JE. Results: A total of 50 patients (56% female; mean age 61.7 years) underwent POEM for EGJOO (n=15), DES (n=17), and JE (n=18). Mean duration of symptoms was 53.2 months and most patients (68%) were treatment naïve. Technical success was achieved in all patients with a mean procedural time of 88.4 ± 44.7 min. The mean total myotomy length was 15.1 ± 4.7 cm. Clinical success was achieved in 93.3% of EGJOO and in 84.9% of DES/JE (p=0.41) with a median follow-up of 195 and 272 days, respectively. Chest pain improved in 88.9% of EGJOO and 87.0% of DES/JE (p=0.88). Mean Eckardt score decreased from 6.2 to 1.0 in EGJOO (p Conclusions: POEM is effective and safe in the management of non-achalasia esophageal motility disorders, which include diffuse esophageal spasm, jackhammer esophagus, and esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction. Although AEs occurred in 18% of patients, none were severe and all complications were managed intraprocedurally or conservatively. Given that DES and JE do not typically have EGJ outflow obstruction, whether LES myotomy is required in these patients remains to be determined and warrants further investigation

Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy is Effective and Safe in Non-achalasia Esophageal Motility Disorders: an International Multicenter Study

Background and study aims: The efficacy of per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in non-achalasia esophageal motility disorders such as esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO), diffuse esophageal spasm (DES), and jackhammer esophagus (JE) has not been well demonstrated. The aim of this international multicenter study was to assess clinical outcomes of POEM in patients with non-achalasia disorders, namely DES, JE, and EGJOO, in a large cohort of patients. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective study at 11 centers. Consecutive patients who underwent POEM for EGJOO, DES, or JE between 1/2014 and 9/2016 were included. Rates of technical success (completion of myotomy), clinical response (symptom improvement/Eckardt score ≤ 3), and adverse events (AEs, severity per ASGE lexicon) were ascertained. Results: Fifty patients (56 % female; mean age 61.7 years) underwent POEM for EGJOO (n = 15), DES (n = 17), and JE (n = 18). The majority of patients (68 %) were treatment-naïve. Technical success was achieved in all patients with a mean procedural time of 88.4 ± 44.7 min. Mean total myotomy length was 15.1 ± 4.7 cm. Chest pain improved in 88.9 % of EGJOO and 87.0 % of DES/JE (P = 0.88). Clinical success was achieved in 93.3 % of EGJOO and in 84.9 % of DES/JE (P = 0.41) with a median follow-up of 195 and 272 days, respectively. Mean Eckardt score decreased from 6.2 to 1.0 in EGJOO (P \u3c 0.001) and from 6.9 to 1.9 in DES/JE (P \u3c 0.001). A total of 9 (18 %) AEs occurred and were rated as mild in 55.6 % and moderate in 44.4 %. Conclusion: POEM is effective and safe in management of non-achalasia esophageal motility disorders, which include DES, JE, and EGJOO

Management of patients after failed peroral endoscopic myotomy: A multicenter study

Background Although peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is highly effective for the management of achalasia, clinical failures may occur. The optimal management of patients who fail POEM is not well known. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of different management strategies in patients who had failed POEM. Methods This was an international multicenter retrospective study at 16 tertiary centers between January 2012 and November 2019.All patients who underwent POEM and experienced persistent or recurrent symptoms (Eckardt score>3) were included. The primary outcome was to compare the rates of clinical success (Eckardt score ≤3) between different management strategies. Results 99 patients (50 men [50.5%]; mean age 51.4 [standard deviation (SD) 16.2]) experienced clinical failure during the study period, with a mean (SD) Eckardt score of 5.4 (0.3). A total of 29 patients (32.2%) were managed conservatively and 70 (71%) underwent retreatment (repeat POEM 33 [33%], pneumatic dilation 30 [30%], and laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) 7 [7.1%]). During a median follow-up of 10 (interquartile range 3-20) months, clinical success was highest in patients who underwent repeat POEM (25/33 [76%]; mean [SD] Eckardt score 2.1 [2.1]), followed by pneumatic dilation (18/30 [60%]; Eckardt score 2.8 [2.3]), and LHM (2/7 [29%]; Eckardt score 4 [1.8]; P =0.12). A total of 11 patients in the conservative group (37.9%; mean Eckardt score 4 [1.8]) achieved clinical success. Conclusion This study comprehensively assessed an international cohort of patients who underwent management of failed POEM. Repeat POEM and pneumatic dilation achieved acceptable clinical success, with excellent safety profiles