Heller's Cardiomyotomy

Image Description:

Labelled illustration showing Heller’s cardiomyotomy that is used to treat cases of achalasia of the cardia. Achalasia is a condition where the muscle of the lower oesophagus fails to relax and causes problems with the passage of food and fluid into the stomach. It can be treated in the short-term using botox injections or balloon dilatation but for a longer-term solution then Heller’s cardiomyotomy is recommended. The procedure is laparoscopic, meaning that only small keyhole incisions are made in order to perform the procedure. The surgeon will make 5 small incisions in the abdomen in order to access the lower oesophagus and cut through the muscle layer.

Image File Sizes:

Anatomy Visible in the Medical Illustration Includes:

Heller’s cardiomyotomy, diaphragm, oesophagus, mucosa, muscle, stomach, achalasia, cardia

Image created by:

Joanna Culley