Long-term safety and outcome of a temporary self-expanding metallic stent for achalasia: a prospective study with a 13-year single-center experience

To prospectively evaluate the long-term clinical safety and efficacy of a newly designed self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) in the treatment of patients with achalasia. Seventy-five patients with achalasia were treated with a temporary SEMS with a 30-mm diameter. The SEMSs were placed under fluoroscopic guidance and removed by gastroscopy 4–5 days after stent placement. Follow-up data focused on dysphagia score, technique and clinical success, clinical remissions and failures, and complications and was performed at 6 months, 1 year, and within 3 to 5 years, 5 to 8 years, 8 to 10 years, and >10 years postoperatively. Stent placement was technically successful in all patients. Complications included stent migration (n = 4, 5.33%), chest pain (n = 28, 38.7%), reflux (n = 15, 20%), and bleeding (n = 9, 12%). No perforation or 30-day mortality occurred. Clinical success was achieved in all patients 1 month after stent removal. The overall remission rates at 6 months, 1, 1–3, 3–5, 5–8, 8–10, and >10 year follow-up periods were 100%, 96%, 93.9%, 90.9%, 100%, 100%, and 83.3%, respectively. Stent treatment failed in six patients, and the overall remission rate in our series was 92%. The median and mean primary patencies were 2.8 ± 0.28 years (95% CI: 2.25–3.35) and 4.28 ± 0.40 years (95% CI: 3.51–5.05), respectively. The use of temporary SEMSs with 30-mm diameter proved to be a safe and effective approach for managing achalasia with a long-term satisfactory clinical remission rate.