Compliance measurement of lower esophageal sphincter and esophageal body in achalasia and gastroesophageal reflux disease

Little is known about the effect of achalasia and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) on compliance of the esophageal body and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Twenty-two patients with achalasia, 14 with GERD, and 14 asymptomatic volunteers were assessed. Recording apparatus consisted of a s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Digestive diseases and sciences 2001-09, Vol.46 (9), p.1937-1942
Main Authors: JENKINSON, Andrew D, SCOTT, S. Mark, YAZAKI, Etsuro, FUSAI, Giuseppe, WALKER, Sharon M, KADIRKAMANATHAN, Sritharan S, EVANS, David F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Digestive system
Esophageal Achalasia - physiopathology
Esophagogastric Junction - physiopathology
Female
Gastroesophageal Reflux - physiopathology
Humans
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Little is known about the effect of achalasia and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) on compliance of the esophageal body and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Twenty-two patients with achalasia, 14 with GERD, and 14 asymptomatic volunteers were assessed. Recording apparatus consisted of a specially developed PVC bag tied to a compliance catheter, a barostat, and a polygraph. Intrabag pressures were increased incrementally while the bag volume was recorded. In each subject, pressure-volume graphs were constructed for both the esophageal body and LES and the compliance calculated. In achalasia, compliance of the esophageal body was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than in controls, whereas LES compliance was similar. Patients with GERD had a highly compliant LES in comparison to both controls and to patients with achalasia (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively); however there was no difference in their esophageal body compliance. In conclusion, foregut motility disorders can cause changes in organ compliance that are detectable using a barostat and a suitably designed compliance bag. Further measurement of compliance may provide clues to the pathogenesis of these disorders.
ISSN:0163-2116
1573-2568
DOI:10.1023/A:1010639232137