There is also the need to continuously identify extramucosal intrathoracic and intra-abdominal anatomy. This would

argue the need for an experienced surgeon to perform these procedures or at a minimum to be highly involved. Because the senior surgeon is not only an experienced minimally learn more invasive foregut surgeon but a surgical endoscopist as well, it is possible that a nonsurgical endoscopist performing the procedure without surgical assistance may have a different trajectory to the learning curve because extraluminal thoracic and abdominal anatomy are not part of the baseline didactic and procedural knowledge. The learning curve in our POEM experience is comparable to that of other studies looking at the learning curve of ESD technique (around 30 cases).14, 15 and 16 The POEM technique is indebted to the concepts learned from the ESD and the NOTES experience. Bloomston et al17 looked PD0325901 at the learning curve of laparoscopic Heller myotomy in 2002 and found that their conversion rate and LOP significantly dropped

after 20 cases. Going by the experience of the trainees, it seems like the learning curve of this procedure can be shortened by close supervision of an expert who has already overcome his learning curve for this procedure. There is also the concept of a “group learning curve,” where different members of the operative team become familiarized with various aspects of the procedure including the recognition of anatomy. In our experience, this reinforces and consolidates the experience

of various members of the operative team and may contribute to shortening the initial learning curve. Hence, it is advisable that the same team be present for all the initial cases. POEM is a complex therapeutic flexible endoscopic procedure that is associated with a learning curve for experienced surgical endoscopists. However, it can be taught and learned successfully and safely as demonstrated in our initial experience. Mastery of the operative technique is evidenced by a decrease in LOP, decreased variability of minutes per centimeter of myotomy, and a lower incidence of inadvertent mucosotomies. POEM can be learned as well as taught successfully and safely. Mastery of the operative technique is evidenced Thalidomide by a decrease in LOP, variability of minutes per centimeter of myotomy, and incidence of inadvertent mucosotomies. The learning curve plateaus around 20 cases for experienced endoscopists. This indicates that it may be performed best in high-volume esophageal centers. “
“Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas are characterized by intraductal proliferation of mucin-producing epithelial cells and cystic dilation of the pancreatic ducts and can present a wide range of pathological changes, from hyperplasia to adenocarcinoma.1 and 2 They can be subdivided into main-duct type and branch-duct type, depending on the location of the main lesion.