Hadassah surgeons perform a surgical procedure with no incisions
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Hadassah surgeons recently performed a surgical procedure using the POEM (Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy) method in order to treat Achalasia.
Achalasia affects the ability of the esophagus to move food down towards the stomach. The results may be backflow of food (regurgitation), chest pain, difficulty in swallowing, heartburn.
Appearing in people over 50 years old mainly, the disease is diagnosed by gastroenterologists.
Current treatment is a surgical procedure using laparoscopy or surgical robot. The POEM method saves the need to cut any incision in the abdomen. The surgeon inserts an endoscope through the patient’s mouth into the oesophagus, reaching by that the oesophagus muscle. By making a cut in this annular muscle, the pressure on the oesophagus is off and the food goes down without interruption.
“This is one of the procedures that will change general surgery completely, and our department plays a key role in this process” says Dr. Yoav Mintz, who performed the procedure at Hadassah with his colleagues from the gastroenterology department. “Although the patient was operated on under full anesthesia, she wanted to go home that same night. I had to keep her almost by force for another 48 hours” he adds smiling.
Dr. Mintz was the successful finalist in an international competition to a two-year fellowship, which he completed at the University of California, San Diego, working with one of the world leaders in minimally invasive surgery and robotic surgery, building a vision and forging new techniques. Upon completion of his fellowship he returned to Hadassah but continues to collaborate with UCSD and serves as Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery there.
For nearly 100 years, Hadassah (www.hadassah-med.com) has been leader in medicine and nursing in Israel, laying the foundation and setting the standards for the country’s modern health care system. The majority of medical breakthroughs in Israel have taken place at Hadassah. With more than 130 departments and clinics, Hadassah-Ein Kerem provides Israel’s most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services for the local and national population and a significant number of international patients.
iMER medical organization is the international patients office of the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. iMER, in cooperation with Hadassah, offers patients assessment services, the preparation of a proper medical plan and referral to the appropriate Hadassah units.
