Esophageal Surgeries in Systemic sclerosis (SSc) - A Systematic Review of the Literature

Objectives In some patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), esophageal symptoms can be severe enough to warrant surgical intervention; however, no single procedure seems to predominate because there exists no published rationale for the choice of a particular procedure. We did a systematic literature review of all published trials involving patients with SSc requiring esophageal surgery and compared their relative outcomes and complications. Methods All articles (excluding review articles) describing esophageal surgeries in SSc patients published between 1965 and November 2015 were reviewed. A minimum of 12 weeks’ follow-up was also needed for inclusion. Primary outcome measures were improvement of patient- and/or physician-described reduction in heartburn, reflux or dysphagia. Complications related and unrelated to the procedure were also evaluated. Results Ten articles satisfied selection criteria. A total of 119 patients, all ≥18 years of age, were included from the 10 articles selected Excluding the 1-2 patient case reports, favorable responses were seen in 30%-81% of patients. Complications were varied and differed from series to series Conclusions The efficacy of the procedure and the specific surgical approach to use remains based on anecdotal data. There is clearly a need for careful, controlled studies in uniform groups of SSc patients before being able to rationally recommend esophageal surgery for dysphagia/heartburn in SSc.