Who is Going to do POEM (Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy) in Children?

Posted on by

AA Mencin et al. JPGN 2022; 75: 231-236. Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) in Children: A State of the Art Review

This is a terrific review of POEM; it explains the procedure technique (with pictures), outcomes, indications and adverse events. The paper indicates that more than 300 children (as young as 11 months) have had POEM in published studies with good outcomes.

Interestingly, the authors state that 20-40 procedures “should be performed for competency and that 60 are required to achieve mastery.” Also, long-term data are lacking.

This paper extensively references a White Paper summary: DJ Scott et al. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2014; 80: 1-15. Open Access! Per-oral endoscopic myotomy white paper summary

My take: POEM has good data supporting its use, especially in adults. Still, it will be quite difficult for pediatric gastroenterologists to acquire sufficient expertise to do this procedure.

Related blog posts:

“Exit Glacier” in Kenai Fjords National Park. This picture shows how much the glacier has retreated since 2005 due to global warming (the ice used to extend to this sign).