World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jan 28;16(4):411-7. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i4.411.
Pneumatic dilation (PD) is considered to be the first line nonsurgical therapy for achalasia. The principle of the procedure is to weaken the lower esophageal sphincter by tearing its muscle fibers by generating radial force. The endoscope-guided procedure is done without fluoroscopic control. Clinicians usually use a low-compliance balloon such as Rigiflex dilator to perform endoscope-guided PD for the treatment of esophageal achalasia. It has the advantage of determining mucosal injury during the dilation process, so that a repeat endoscopy is not needed to assess the mucosal tearing. Previous studies have shown that endoscope-guided PD is an efficient and safe nonsurgical therapy with results that compare well with other treatment modalities. Although the results may be promising, long-term follow-up is required in the near future.
气动扩张术（PD）被认为是治疗贲门失弛缓症的一线非手术治疗方法。该手术的原理是通过产生径向力撕裂下食管括约肌的肌肉纤维来减弱其张力。该内镜引导下的手术无需荧光透视控制。临床医生通常使用低顺应性球囊（如 Rigiflex 扩张器）来进行内镜引导下 PD 治疗食管失弛缓症。它的优点是可以在扩张过程中确定黏膜损伤，因此无需再次进行内镜检查来评估黏膜撕裂情况。先前的研究表明，内镜引导 PD 是一种有效且安全的非手术治疗方法，其效果与其他治疗方式相当。尽管结果可能很有前景，但在不久的将来仍需要进行长期随访。
