Meal area index: a new technique for quantitative assessment in achalasia by ambulatory manometry during eating

Esophageal function in achalasia: preoperative and postoperative manometric studies

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Aperistalsis observed in children with achalasia may be secondary to sphincteric spasm or reflect a primary esophageal dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess manometrically sphincteric function and esophageal motility before and after successful myotomy.

METHODS

Conventional stationary and pull-through manometry were performed preoperatively in 14 patients and postoperatively in 13. Ambulatory 24-hour manometry was carried out in four and eight patients in these two groups, respectively, and the results were compared with those of 23 refluxing youngsters.

RESULTS

Sphincter hypertony with lack or incompleteness of relaxation was found preoperatively in all patients, and sphincter pressure decreased dramatically after myotomy in all of them. All patients had aperistalsis preoperatively, and only a few had some primary, but weak, contractions postoperatively. Ambulatory manometry results confirmed a reduced number of motor events even during meals and only insignificant improvement of progressiveness, completeness and amplitude of waves after myotomy irrespective of the time elapsed since the procedure, the degree of recovery of esophageal caliber, and the clinical outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Motor disorders in achalasia in children are similar to those of adults with the same disease. Motor recovery is observed only in some patients, although it is never complete, and their esophagi will remain ineffective for life. Because myotomy destroys the sphincter, and motility is permanently impaired in this condition, a fundoplication must be interposed to allow long-term mucosal protection.

Ambulatory 24-hour manometric and pH metric evidence of permanent impairment of clearance capacity in patients with esophageal atresia

Dysphagia and gastroesophageal reflux (GER) probably caused by structural disorganization of the esophagus occur frequently after repair of tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), and the extent to which they may improve beyond childhood is not known. The aim of the present study is to assess by combined ambulatory 24-hour manometry and pH-metry the esophageal peristaltic activity and acid clearing capacity in adolescents and adults who had been operated on for TEF at birth. Twenty-two patients, aged 17.1 +/- 4.5 years (mean +/- SD), were examined with combined three-channel manometry and two-channel pH-metry followed by endoscopy and biopsy. Although they considered themselves healthy, on careful interrogation, 16 (72%) were found to have dysphagia, 13 (59%) had heartburn, 10 (45%) had foreign body impaction, and 7 (31%) had chronic respiratory tract disease. GER was detected in 12 (54%) patients (5 with histological esophagitis), 10 of whom had a pattern of prolonged nocturnal episodes with very slow clearance. All patients had diminished contractile activity with low-amplitude and short-duration waves that decreased from 0.53 +/- 0.35 waves per minute to 0.28 +/- 0.2 waves per minute during sleep. Propulsive activity was uniformly disorganized, with peristaltic sequences being few (less than 50% overall) and incomplete (above 80%). Finally, the acid-clearing capacity was nil; the proportions of ineffective sequences were above 90% for all periods considered, including sleep and mealtimes. The motor behavior of nonrefluxing and refluxing patients was identical despite the differences in esophageal acid exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gastric motility following oesophagectomy

The motility of the vagally denervated transposed stomach after oesophagectomy was examined by ambulatory gastric manometry and videofluoroscopy. Two groups of subjects were studied. Group 1 comprised ten patients who had undergone oesophagectomy 6-12 months previously and group 2 consisted of six normal control subjects. Studies were performed on fasting and fed subjects, and following injection of erythromycin 8 mg/kg. No distinguishable manometric wave activity was seen in either group while fasting. Feeding generated a measurable wave pattern in the patient group only. A significant increase in the mean (s.e.m.) distal wave amplitude was identified after infusion of erythromycin in both patients (34.0(15.1) versus 12.2(3.1) mmHg, P < 0.05) and controls (15.1(3.4) versus 5.0(0.0) mmHg, P = 0.05). The response to erythromycin was more rapid in patients than in controls (mean(s.e.m.) 113(16) versus 377(133) s, P < 0.05) and the effect persisted for longer (more than 1 h) in those who had undergone oesophagectomy. Videofluoroscopy confirmed purposeful motility in both the normal and vagally denervated stomach. It is concluded that the transposed stomach is a dynamic conduit. Enhancement of motility was greatest in the denervated stomach, indicative of denervation supersensitivity.