ADVANCED ENDOSCOPIC PROCEDURE · FRISCO / PLANO, TX
POEM Procedure for Achalasia
POEM Procedure for Achalasia is a minimally invasive, scarless treatment for people who struggle with swallowing, food getting stuck, regurgitation, chest pain, or weight loss caused by achalasia in Frisco/Plano, TX. This advanced endoscopic approach helps the lower esophageal sphincter relax so food and liquids can move into the stomach more normally.
Scarless — No External Cuts
1–2 Nights Hospital Stay
90%+ Symptom Relief
The POEM procedure in Frisco/Plano, TX for achalasia is a game-changer. It has changed how we manage this tough condition and allows you to eat and drink normally when eating and drinking feel impossible.
To understand achalasia better, it helps to know what happens in your esophagus. When you swallow, the lower esophageal sphincter should relax and let food and liquids into your stomach. But in people with achalasia, this sphincter doesn’t relax. It creates a barrier that traps everything you try to swallow.
Food builds up in your esophagus and can cause chest pain, regurgitation, and significant weight loss, greatly impacting your quality of life.
For patients in Frisco/Plano, TX, the POEM Procedure for Achalasia may be considered when medications, dilation, or other treatments do not provide lasting swallowing relief.
You may have already tried medications or less invasive treatments that gave you short-term relief or no relief at all. That’s where the POEM procedure in Frisco/Plano, TX can give you lasting relief.. POEM stands for Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy. This procedure gets to the root of your swallowing problems without any external cuts.
WHY IT WORKS
What Makes the POEM Procedure for Achalasia Different
POEM creates a tunnel through the layers of your esophageal wall with an endoscope passed through your mouth. Your surgeon cuts the tight muscle fibers of the lower esophageal sphincter so they relax permanently. This is different from old surgery because it leaves no scars and causes less trauma to surrounding tissues.
Minimally invasive & scarless
POEM is a minimally invasive, scarless treatment for achalasia - a condition where the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax, causing food to become trapped and leading to severe difficulty swallowing.
Long-lasting relief
By using an endoscope to cut the tightened muscle fibers, POEM offers over 90% of patients long-lasting relief from symptoms like regurgitation, chest pain, and weight loss.
Research shows POEM relieves symptoms in over 90% of patients, with results lasting 5 years or more for most people. It’s better than traditional treatments like pneumatic dilation, which often require repeat procedures and have higher risks of complications.
Many achalasia patients go through multiple failed treatments before finding relief, so POEM’s effectiveness matters even more.
You likely have trouble swallowing solids and liquids, chest pain that feels like heart problems, regurgitation of undigested food, and coughing or choking at night. You may have lost weight because eating is so hard. You might avoid social meals because of fear or embarrassment.
These problems get worse as your esophagus gets more dilated and weak, so early treatment is crucial to preventing long-term damage.
When POEM Comes to the Rescue
The POEM procedure is a lifesaver for people who have tried everything else for achalasia but it hasn’t worked. If you’ve tried taking calcium channel blockers or nitrates and not gotten much relief, or if you’ve had pneumatic dilation but it only gave you a reprieve from your symptoms for a little while, then POEM is a more serious option.
Plus, it is helpful for people who can’t actually tolerate the traditional surgical myotomy because they’re dealing with other health issues or prior surgeries that are going to make other approaches challenging.
You are probably a good candidate for POEM for achalasia if you are still experiencing the same symptoms even after you have tried medication, if you’ve got type II or III achalasia based on an esophageal motility test, or if you would rather not have the longer recovery time that comes with traditional surgery.
Even people who have tried lots of other treatments before that haven’t worked out are often finding that POEM is the way to go because it lets you get a much more complete division of the sphincter muscle.
IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU
BEFORE YOUR PROCEDURE
Preparing for Your POEM Surgery
First things first, you will need to go through some tests to make sure your diagnosis of achalasia is right and how bad it is. You will have to get high-resolution manometry done to measure the pressure and how well your muscles in there are coordinated.
Then, you will get an upper endoscopy where the doctor can take a look inside your esophagus and rule out everything else that could be going on. A barium swallow study will let them see how liquids move through your esophagus and how bad the dilation is.
You will need to be prepared not to eat or drink the day of your procedure for at least 8 hours or so, so that your stomach is empty. Your doctor will want to know all about the medication you are on, especially blood thinners, because they might need to adjust those before the procedure.
And if there’s a lot of stuck food in your esophagus, you might have to go on a liquid diet for a few days beforehand to clean that out. All this makes sure that when they’re doing the surgery, you don’t get any food going the wrong direction, and they can get a good look at what’s going on in there.
The POEM Procedure for Achalasia is performed through the mouth using an endoscope, which allows treatment of the tight esophageal muscle without external cuts.
STEP BY STEP
What Happens During the Procedure
The POEM procedure usually takes anywhere from 60 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how complicated your case is.
Anesthesia & endoscope
Once you’re all out with the general anesthetic, your surgeon inserts an endoscope right down your throat and into your esophagus, and then blows up the area with carbon dioxide to create some space to work with between the layers of tissue.
Creating the tunnel
They make a small entry point in the lining of your esophagus - just a little way up from the sphincter and carefully start to separate the lining from the muscle underneath. As they go down, they make a little tunnel that goes all the way through to the lower esophageal sphincter and into the stomach a bit.
Releasing the muscle
They then take a scalpel to the circular muscle fibers that stop the sphincter from relaxing, but they leave the outer layer alone so that the structure can stay intact.
Closing up
Finally, they close up the entry point with a clip, and you’re done.
Faster Recovery, Lasting Results
Recovery from the POEM procedure for achalasia is much faster than traditional surgery. Most patients are in the hospital for 1–2 nights compared to 3–5 days for a Heller myotomy. You’re back to normal activities in 1–2 weeks instead of 4–6 weeks, so you can get your life back without downtime.
90%+
of patients get long-lasting symptom relief
1–2
nights in the hospital vs. 3–5 for open surgery
8 pts
average drop in dysphagia score (12-point scale)
No external incisions means no visible scarring, less pain after surgery, and a lower risk of wound infections or hernias. Research shows 5–10% of POEM patients develop significant acid reflux afterwards, but this usually responds to medication compared to traditional surgery, which can disrupt the anti-reflux mechanisms even more.
Your swallowing function improves dramatically within days of the procedure. Research shows dysphagia scores drop by 8 points on a 12-point scale after POEM, and most patients are back to normal eating within weeks. Being able to eat again, maintain a healthy weight, and socialize transforms not just your physical health but your emotional well-being and quality of life.
THE BENEFITS THAT MATTER TO YOU
DON’T WAIT
Why Frisco & Plano Patients Should Act Now
Getting treated for achalasia in Frisco/Plano, TX, early in your disease progression prevents irreversible esophageal damage. The longer achalasia goes untreated, the more your esophagus dilates and loses its ability to contract. Advanced untreated achalasia creates a sigmoid-shaped esophagus that’s harder to treat even with POEM.
You also face increased risk of aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and esophageal cancer when chronic inflammation goes untreated for years.
Early evaluation gives you the best chance of excellent outcomes. Research shows patients who have POEM within 2 years of symptom onset do better long-term than those who wait longer.
If you’re having progressive difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, or regurgitation of undigested food, get specialized care now to protect your health and preserve your treatment options.
The POEM procedure for achalasia has revolutionized treatment by offering a minimally invasive solution with great results and minimal recovery time. You don’t have to accept a diminished quality of life or major surgery with extensive scarring. Advanced achalasia treatment in Frisco/Plano, TX, can get your eating, drinking, and living back to normal again.
ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people who’ve had the POEM procedure say the pain afterwards is pretty minor - mild discomfort in the chest or throat that’s easily managed with over-the-counter pain medication. Because the procedure doesn’t leave any big external scars, you avoid the more painful aftermath you’d experience with traditional surgery.
Studies have shown the results from POEM tend to last, with over 85% of patients still seeing symptom relief at the 5-year mark. Compared to other treatments, people have a low chance of needing more treatment if their symptoms do come back.
Right after surgery, you’ll start with clear liquids and then move on to full liquids and soft foods within a few days. It usually takes a couple of weeks to get back to full strength and start eating a normal diet again. Your doctor will give you specific instructions, as everyone recovers a bit differently.
Most insurance plans will cover POEM when it’s clear that you have achalasia and medical treatment is necessary, but the specifics can vary depending on your provider. Working with an experienced practice that can help navigate the insurance side is a good idea.
The POEM procedure itself usually takes 60 to 120 minutes, but you should plan on being at the medical facility for at least a few hours - all the way from prep to recovery.
In less than 5% of cases, something serious can go wrong things to watch for include mucosal perforation, bleeding, pneumothorax, or infection. Longer term, about 10% to 30% of people develop acid reflux, but it usually responds to medication.
The only way to decide is comprehensive testing, including esophageal manometry and an endoscopy. When those come back and your doctor determines you’ve had failed medical management or that POEM is your best bet for real relief that’s usually the way to go.
Take the First Step Toward Lasting Relief
If you’re having trouble swallowing, regurgitation, or chest pain that’s impacting your daily life, Dr. Adnan Badr offers achalasia treatment in Frisco/Plano, TX with expert evaluation, advanced endoscopic care, comprehensive testing, and the latest techniques to help you swallow normally again with minimal downtime.
Frisco
4500 Hillcrest Rd, Ste 185, Frisco, TX 75035
Plano
5800 Communications Parkway, Plano, TX 75093
Phone
(972) 514-3530 · Fax (972) 514-3531
Hours
Mon–Thu 8:00 AM–4:30 PM · Fri 8:00 AM–4:00 PM