B. Mahadevan, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology of Gleneagles Hospitals, said 73-year-old Bernath Mary of Ariyalur district and 75-year-old Theo Helene Baetens of Belgium were suffering from difficulty swallowing food and liquids.

| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Two patients, including a patient from Belgium, who were suffering from a rare kind of swallowing disorder, were successfully treated using advanced scarless endoscopic techniques by the medical specialists of Gleneagles Hospital in Perumbakkam. B. Mahadevan, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology of Gleneagles Hospitals, which is part of the Fortis Network Hospital, at a press conference held in the hospital premises on Thursday, said 73-year-old Bernath Mary of Ariyalur district and 75-year-old Theo Helene Baetens of Belgium were suffering from difficulty swallowing food and liquids. While Ms. Mary was unable to swallow food, Mr. Baetens regurgitated undigested food. After being admitted to the hospital were treated through endoscopic surgeries using diverticular peroral endoscopic myotomy (D-POEM) and Zenker’s Per-Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (Z-POEM). Both patients after the endoscopic surgeries have shown good results by swallowing foods in a normal manner. Dr. S. Niranjani, Chief Operating Officer and Hospital Head of Gleneagles Hospital, also participated. Published - August 21, 2026 12:59 am IST