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What to Expect - Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy
What to Expect: Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy
POEM is an incisionless procedure, meaning we do not make any cuts outside your gastrointestinal tract. This can help you recover quickly and reduces your risk for complications.
If the POEM procedure is right for you, here's what to expect:
- We give you general anesthesia, meaning you are asleep and not able to feel any sensation during your procedure.
- Your physician passes a small flexible tube and tiny camera (endoscope) through your mouth into your esophagus.
- Using the endoscope camera, we pinpoint areas of stiff tissue along your esophagus.
- We make a small incision along the internal lining of your esophagus to expose the muscle tissue.
- We then delicately separate muscle layers within your esophagus.
- Once we identify the muscle tissues responsible for your condition, we make small cuts to help them relax.
- We may cut muscle tissue in multiple areas of your esophagus, as well as the upper part of your stomach (fundus), if necessary.
- When your procedure is complete, we close the incisions using small clips and remove the endoscope.
- You can expect to stay in the hospital overnight.
- The next day we perform a special X-ray test (barium esophagram) to examine your esophagus while you drink a special liquid.
- You may need to eat a diet of soft foods while your esophagus heals. Our experts in GI Nutrition Services can help you find the right foods to eat.