CHICAGO, IL -- 12/02/08 --
Achalasia is a rare esophageal disease that
effects thousands of people in the United States, most of whom are in their
20s to 50s, and often presents symptoms that mimic those of acid reflux,
such as difficulty swallowing, heart burn and chest pain. Difficult to
diagnose and often mismanaged, achalasia is the inability of the muscles in
the lower esophageal sphincterto to relax during swallowing in order to
move food down the esophagus and into the stomach.
Nathaniel Soper, MD, renowned gastrointestinal surgeon and chief of surgery
at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, will perform a minimally invasive
surgery to treat achalasia, called Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy, during a
live interactive webcast on Tuesday, December 2, at 3 p.m.
Dr. Soper and a team of surgeons at Northwestern Memorial perform 50-100
operations per year to treat achalasia, which is more than any other center
in Illinois. "This minimally invasive procedure is the best option for
patients with achalasia as medication typically has no effect, and
endoscopic treatments often must be frequently repeated," said Dr. Soper.
"Surgery involves cutting the esophageal sphincter muscle to allow food and
liquid to flow into the stomach and provides immediate improvement in most
patients."
The surgery to correct achalasia limits complications and allows most
patients to return to work and daily activities within a week following
surgery.
Dr. Soper has been at the forefront of less-invasive surgical alternatives
and joined the Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at Northwestern Memorial
in 2003. As director of the program, he has been instrumental in pioneering
minimally invasive procedures in Chicago, including natural orifice
transluminal endoscopic surgery, or NOTES, which involves the removal of
organs through the mouth or vagina.
"Minimally invasive surgeries are the wave of the future," adds Dr. Soper.
"There has been an upward trend in these types of operations over the last
20 years and I think we will continue to see more traditional surgeries
becoming less invasive."
For a complete list of Northwestern Memorial Hospital webcasts, visit ihealth.nmh.org.
To view a preview for this program and learn more visit:
OR-Live.com
VNR: Achalasia Treatment
Video-Link Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=878434
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Bryan Kooharian
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