A pneumatic dilation long-term results

[Guest guest]

Another link to long-term results. This time for dilatation.

A pneumatic dilation strategy in achalasia:

prospective outcome and effects on oesophageal motor function in the

long term

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20003094

" Six-year remission rate (by Kaplan-Meyer estimates) was 82% after first

dilation treatment and 96% after all dilations. "

These numbers seems very impressive at first glance, but there are some

funny things happening to do the math. First they start with 77 patients

but only include 69 patients who achieved a greater than 1 year stable

remission. Then they didn't fallow them all for six years but for 5.6

years median. That means no more than half, and it could be less, were

fallowed for six years. I think one would have to see the details of the

full report to know how good, or not, these numbers really are.

notan