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Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy (G-POEM) is a promising technique for treating refractory gastroparesis. We present the first double-blind randomized study comparing the clinical efficacy of G-POEM versus pyloric botulinum toxin injection (BTI)., Methods: This randomized study, conducted in two expert centers, enrolled patients with refractory gastroparesis, medically managed for >6 months and confirmed by gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES), into two groups, G-POEM versus BTI, with follow-up of 1 year. The primary end point was the 3-month clinical efficacy, defined as a >1-point decrease in the mean Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) score. Secondary end points were: 1-year efficacy, GES evolution, adverse events, and quality of life., Results: 40 patients (22 women; mean age 48.1 [SD 17.4]), with mean symptom duration of 5.8 (SD 5.7) years, were randomized. Etiologies included idiopathic (n=18), diabetes (n=11), postoperative (n=6), and mixed (n=4). G-POEM showed a higher 3-month clinical success than BTI (65% vs. 40%, respectively; P =0.10), along with non-significantly higher 1-year clinical success (60% vs. 40%, respectively) on intention-to-treat analysis. The GCSI decreased in both groups at 3 months and 1 year. Only three minor adverse events occurred in the G-POEM group. The GES improvement rate was 72% in the G-POEM group versus 50% in the BTI group (non-significant)., Conclusion: G-POEM seems to have a higher clinically relevant success rate than BTI, but this was not statistically demonstrated. This study confirms the interest in treatments targeting the pylorus, either mechanically or chemically, for managing refractory gastroparesis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Laparoscopic fundoplication is the treatment of severe and refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It induces dysphagia in 5 % - 10 % owing to a tight valve ± esophageal motility disorders (EMD), with challenging management. We assessed the first case series assessing peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in such a situation., Methods: A retrospective case series including eight patients with severe dysphagia after laparoscopic fundoplication who were treated by POEM. They were assessed clinically by Eckardt and Mellow - Pinkas dysphagia scores, and by high resolution manometry (HRM). The procedure was a regular esophageal POEM, mainly posterior, including a myotomy of the wrap. The objectives were to evaluate the clinical efficacy, technical difficulties, and complications of this approach., Results: HRM showed aperistalsis in 6 /8 patients and raised lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure in 5 /8. The median preoperative Eckardt and dysphagia scores were 5 and 3.5, respectively. The procedure was completed in 7 /8 patients, with a clinical efficacy rate (normalization of both scores) of 75 % (6 /8). Although the submucosa seemed more fibrotic and vascularized, no severe complications occurred., Conclusion: POEM is a newly described therapeutic option to consider for managing dysphagia due to EMD after laparoscopic fundoplication., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Competing Interests: None

Recent developments in therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) have enabled new approaches to the management of refractory gastrointestinal bleeding, including EUS-guided sclerotherapy and vessel embolization. Few cases have been reported in the literature. Eight patients were admitted for severe, refractory gastrointestinal bleeding, seven of whom were actively bleeding. Causes of bleeding were gastric varices secondary to portal hypertension (n = 3); gastroduodenal artery aneurysm or fundal aneurysmal arterial malformation (n = 3); and Dieulafoy's ulcer (n = 2); the latter five patients having arterial bleeding. During the procedures, the bleeding vessel was punctured with a 19-gauge needle then injected with a sclerosing agent (cyanoacrylate glue [n = 6] or polidocanol 2 % [n = 2]) under Doppler control. The median follow-up time was 9 months (3 - 18 months). In all 10 endoscopic procedures were performed. The procedure was successful at the first attempt in seven out of eight patients (87.5 %). No clinical complications were observed, although in one case there was diffusion of cyanoacrylate in the hepatic artery. The seven successful cases all showed immediate and complete disappearance of the Doppler flow signal at the end of the procedure. This retrospective study highlights the utility of EUS-guided vascular therapy. However, more large randomized studies should be conducted to confirm these results., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)