Length of the esophagus in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and Barrett's esophagus compared to controls

Background. It is a current opinion among surgeons that the esophagus is shorter in patients with reflux disease and particularly in those with complicated Barrett's esophagus. However, objective evidence of this is scarce. Therefore we attempted to determine the occurrence and magnitude of thi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Surgery 2003-04, Vol.133 (4), p.358-363
Main Authors: Korn, Owen, Csendes, Attila, Burdiles, Patricio, Braghetto, Italo, Sagastume, Héctor, Biagini, Leandro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Barrett Esophagus - pathology
Biological and medical sciences
Cardia - pathology
Esophagitis, Peptic - pathology
Esophagus
Esophagus - anatomy & histology
Esophagus - pathology
Female
Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen
Gastroesophageal Reflux - pathology
Humans
Male
Manometry
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Other diseases. Semiology
Prospective Studies
Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases
Surgery of the digestive system
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background. It is a current opinion among surgeons that the esophagus is shorter in patients with reflux disease and particularly in those with complicated Barrett's esophagus. However, objective evidence of this is scarce. Therefore we attempted to determine the occurrence and magnitude of this phenomenon among our patients. Methods. One hundred ninety control subjects, 77 patients with severe erosive esophagitis, 74 with Barrett's esophagus, and 29 with complicated Barrett's esophagus (ulcer, stenosis) were grouped according to height. The length of the esophagus was determined by standard manometric study, measuring the distance from the crycopharingeal sphincter to the distal limit of the lower esophageal sphincter. Values were expressed in cm as the mean ± SD. Results. The esophageal length according to height was 1 to 2 cm shorter in patients compared to controls, but these differences were not significant. Conclusions. No differences were found between patients with progressive severity of the disease. This study confirms that the presence of a so-called “short esophagus” does not exist or is not relevant in our patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, including those with complicated Barrett's esophagus. (Surgery 2003;133:358-63.)
ISSN:0039-6060
1532-7361
DOI:10.1067/msy.2003.117