Efficacy and safety of per-oral endoscopic myotomy in non-achalasia esophageal motility disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Per‑oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is the preferred endoscopic modality for managing achalasia cardia. However, there are no recommendations on the role of POEM in non‑achalasia esophageal dysmotility disorders (NAEMD), including esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO), distal esophageal spasm (DES), and hypercontractile esophagus (HE). The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of POEM in the treatment of NAEMD. MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus were searched from inception to August 2023 for studies analyzing the outcome of POEM in NAEMD. Clinical success and adverse events were the main outcomes assessed. The event rates and their 95% confidence interval were calculated using a random effects model. A total of 11 studies with 271 patients were included in the final analysis. The pooled clinical success rate with POEM in NAEMD was 86.9% (82.9-90.9). On subgroup analysis, the pooled clinical success rates of POEM in DES and EGJOO were 97.8% (90.9-100.0) and 92.7% (86.3-95.1), which were significantly higher than in HE 81.2% (73.5-88.8). Data from limited studies showed that the pooled rate of improvement in dysphagia and chest pain was 88.5% (83.0-93.9) and 87.4% (80.5-94.4). The pooled incidence of overall AEs and serious AEs was 12.6% (5.7-19.5) and 0.3% (0.0-1.9), respectively. On follow-up, the pooled incidence of new-onset heartburn was 18.7% (11.1-26.2). POEM is a safe and efficacious treatment modality for the management of NAEMD with a lower clinical success in patients with HE. Further large-scale studies are required to validate the findings of the present analysis.