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Objectives: High‐resolution manometry (HRM) and esophagography are used for achalasia diagnosis; however, achalasia phenotypes combining esophageal motility and morphology are unknown. Moreover, predicting treatment outcomes of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in treatment‐naïve patients remains an unmet need. Methods: In this multicenter cohort study, we included 1824 treatment‐naïve patients diagnosed with achalasia. In total, 1778 patients underwent POEM. Clustering by machine learning was conducted to identify achalasia phenotypes using patients' demographic data, including age, sex, disease duration, body mass index, and HRM/esophagography findings. Machine learning models were developed to predict persistent symptoms (Eckardt score ≥3) and reflux esophagitis (RE) (Los Angeles grades A–D) after POEM. Results: Machine learning identified three achalasia phenotypes: phenotype 1, type I achalasia with a dilated esophagus (n = 676; 37.0%); phenotype 2, type II achalasia with a dilated esophagus (n = 203; 11.1%); and phenotype 3, late‐onset type I–III achalasia with a nondilated esophagus (n = 619, 33.9%). Types I and II achalasia in phenotypes 1 and 2 exhibited different clinical characteristics from those in phenotype 3, implying different pathophysiologies within the same HRM diagnosis. A predictive model for persistent symptoms exhibited an area under the curve of 0.70. Pre‐POEM Eckardt score ≥6 was the greatest contributing factor for persistent symptoms. The area under the curve for post‐POEM RE was 0.61. Conclusion: Achalasia phenotypes combining esophageal motility and morphology indicated multiple disease pathophysiologies. Machine learning helped develop an optimal risk stratification model for persistent symptoms with novel insights into treatment resistance factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Absent contractility (AC) and ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) are esophageal hypomotility disorders diagnosed using high‐resolution manometry (HRM). Patient characteristics and disease course of these conditions and differential diagnosis between AC and achalasia are yet to be elucidated. Methods: A multicenter study involving 10 high‐volume hospitals was conducted. Starlet HRM findings were compared between AC and achalasia. Patient characteristics including underlying disorders and disease courses were analyzed in AC and IEM. Results: Fifty‐three patients with AC and 92 with IEM were diagnosed, while achalasia was diagnosed in 1784 patients using the Chicago classification v3.0 (CCv3.0). The cut‐off integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) value at 15.7 mmHg showed maximum sensitivity (0.80) and specificity (0.87) for differential diagnosis of AC from type I achalasia. While most ACs were based on systemic disorders such as scleroderma (34%) and neuromuscular diseases (8%), 23% were sporadic cases. The symptom severity of AC was not higher than that of IEM. Regarding the diagnosis of IEM, the more stringent CCv4.0 excluded 14.1% of IEM patients than the CCv3.0, although patient characteristics did not change. In patients with the hypomotile esophagus, concomitance of reflux esophagitis was associated with low distal contractile integral and IRP values. AC and IEM transferred between each other, paralleling with the underlying disease course, although no transition to achalasia was observed. Conclusion: A successful determination of the optimal cut‐off IRP value was achieved using the starlet HRM system to differentiate AC and achalasia. Follow‐up HRM is also useful for differentiating AC from achalasia. Symptom severity may depend on underlying diseases instead of hypomotility severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Patients with esophageal motility disorders (EMDs) including achalasia after gastric surgery have not been thoroughly characterized. Furthermore, the efficacy of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in this population should be clarified. Methods: In this retrospective multicenter study of 3707 patients with EMDs, 31 patients (0.8%) had a history of gastric surgery. Patient characteristics and POEM efficacy were compared between patients with and without previous gastric surgery. Results: In patients with EMD after gastric surgery, age at EMD diagnosis was higher (72.0 years), male sex was predominant (90.3%), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score was higher (≥II, 48.4%). High‐resolution manometry (HRM) findings did not reveal significant differences. In patients who underwent gastric surgery, atrophic gastritis was common (80.6%), and gastric cancer was the primary surgical indication (32.3%). Distal gastrectomy was performed in 28 patients (90.3%). POEM was effective (3.3% adverse events; 100% treatment success). The incidence rates of reflux esophagitis (RE) and symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were 60.0% and 16.7%, respectively, without significant intergroup differences, and severe RE was not observed in the long‐term follow‐up. Extended gastric myotomy was a risk factor for RE. Conclusion: Patients with gastric surgery often present severe disease manifestations; the surgical indication is mainly gastric cancer. HRM findings can be similarly used for diagnosis in patients with and without gastric surgery. POEM maintains safety and efficacy with acceptable RE and symptomatic GERD rates. To prevent RE, extended myotomy should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To elucidate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on the practice of high‐resolution manometry (HRM) and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in Japan. Methods: We utilized a large‐scale database involving 14 high‐volume centers in Japan to investigate changes in the numbers of HRM and POEM procedures performed and outcomes of POEM between 2019 and 2020. A questionnaire survey was also conducted to analyze pandemic‐associated changes in the HRM and POEM protocols. Results: Compared to that in 2019, the number of HRM and POEM procedures decreased by 17.2% (1587–1314) and 20.9% (630–498), respectively. These declines were prominent during the state of emergency from April to May 2020, particularly in pandemic areas. HRM and POEM in nonpandemic areas were relatively unaffected. From 2019 to 2020, there was a 0.4% (254–248) decrease in POEM cases within the prefecture, but the number outside the prefecture decreased by 33.6% (372–247). During the pandemic, the safety and efficacy of POEM were maintained. The implementation of personal protective equipment (PPE) measures varied among facilities, and PPE for POEM was relatively insufficient compared to that for HRM. Conclusion: The COVID‐19 pandemic influenced HRM and POEM practices in Japan. It is necessary to establish a sufficient system for HRM and POEM in each hospital as well as countrywide to overcome the effects of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]