The epidemiology of achalasia in the Veneto Region is in line with the situation reported elsewhere and did not change between 2001 and 2005. Achalasia patients are mostly seen at University Hospitals. We observed a greater risk of subsequent intervention for patients previously treated with PD compared with SM.

The indicators described in this study allow public policy makers to clearly understand the benefits and costs of a particular health intervention in a local population and to compare it with other strategies.

No abstract