Chennai :

Three decades ago when Ponni, 48, from Kancheepuram had minor discomfort while swallowing her food, she did not take it seriously. When the problem persisted, she checked with several doctors assuming that it was a problem with her throat.

However, panic began to set in when the woman began to lose weight rapidly over the past few years. Luckily, a tricky procedure performed at hospital in Chennai helped the woman eat normally.

When Ponni recently underwent a thorough checkup at Global Hospitals, doctors found that she was suffering from a rare condition called esophegal achalasia which is characterized by incomplete relaxation of the food pipe which was causing trouble while swallowing. As a consequence, the patient had regurgitation, chest pressure and heartburn.

Dr R Ravi, who was part of the treating team, said that conventional treatment options for the disorder included surgery and medication. However, after evaluating her conditions, the team decided to perform Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) – a new technique which had a positive outcome.

“POEM is a minimally invasive, scarless technique where precise cutting of muscle is performed through the mouth. It is a virtually non-surgical as no external cut is made on the body and the blood loss is very minimal,” said the doctor.

After the procedure, doctors said that the patient recovered rapidly and was able to talk and walk the following day. “More importantly, after a gap of about four decades, Ponni could finally start eating and swallowing without any difficulty,” said Dr Ravi.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Janani Sampath, TNN / January 16th, 2015