Short and medium-term therapeutic effects of pneumatic dilatation for achalasia: a 15-year tertiary centre experience.

Background: Pneumatic dilatation (PD) is a commonly used endoscopic technique to weaken the lower oesophageal sphincter in patients with achalasia. It is considered as the most effective non-surgical therapeutic option for achalasia, but further data on the overall effectiveness and rate of complications is needed.

Aims: To determine the short- and medium-term therapeutic effectiveness of PD for achalasia and estimate the cumulative probability of remaining in remission over one year after a single treatment.