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Effectiveness of Methods for Pyloric Drainage in esophagecTomY: Botox vs. Pyloromyotomy
Comparative Effectiveness of Intrapyloric Botulinum Toxin Injection Versus Pyloromyotomy for Pyloric Drainage During Esophagectomy: A Registry-Based, Pragmatic Randomized Noninferiority Trial
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age or older * Undergoing elective esophagectomy (thoracoabdominal, Ivor-Lewis, McKeown) * Receiving a gastric conduit for alimentary reconstruction * Technically able to receive either intrapyloric Botox injection or pyloromyotomy as ultimately determined intraoperatively * Willing and able to provide informed consent * Willing and able to participate in long-term follow up including study visits and surveys Exclusion Criteria: * Undergoing emergent esophagectomy (e.g., for esophageal perforation) * Patients with underlying neuromuscular disease as Botox would be contraindicated (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophies, Lambert-Eaton syndrome) * Patients undergoing left thoracoabdominal without left cervical neck incision (i.e., Sweet esophagectomy) - excluded due to the extent of gastric resection * Pregnancy * Allergy or hypersensitivity to botulinum toxin * Cannot feasibly receive both pyloric interventions as determined intraoperatively (e.g., patients with central obesity undergoing thoracoabdominal esophagectomy makes for a technically difficult pyloromyotomy)
About the study
The goal of this pragmatic, registry-based, randomized clinical trial is to find out if using botulinum toxin (Botox) to help drain the stomach during an esophagectomy works as well as a pyloromyotomy in patients undergoing elective esophagectomy for benign or malignant esophageal disease. Both methods are intended to prevent problems with food emptying too slowly from the stomach (delayed gastric emptying), which can cause discomfort after surgery. The main question it aims to answer is:
Is intrapyloric Botox injection as a drainage procedure during esophagectomy non-inferior in preventing symptoms of delayed gastric emptying at 6 months postoperatively compared to pyloromyotomy?
Researchers will compare intrapyloric Botox injection to pyloromyotomy to see if Botox is non-inferior to pyloromyotomy in easing symptoms of delayed gastric emptying.
Participants will:
Be randomized to one of two treatment groups-either intrapyloric Botox injection or pyloromyotomy-during their esophagectomy.
Complete surveys assessing digestive symptoms at standard postoperative follow-up intervals (3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively).
Undergo a standard gastric emptying study at 6 months after surgery.
What is being tested
- Botulinum Toxin A (Botox ) (biological)
- Pyloromyotomy (procedure)
Sponsor: The Cleveland Clinic · Participants: 170 · Started: Dec 3, 2024
Contact the study team
- Andrew Conner, MD · Phone: 216-316-6644
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06721520
Locations in the U.S.
| Ohio | Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.