Treatment of esophageal (noncardiac) chest pain: an expert review

Recent advances in the knowledge of the mechanism of reflux hypersensitivity

Reflux hypersensitivity (RH) is a subtype of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The Rome IV criteria separated RH from the original nonerosive reflux disease subgroup and classified it as a new functional oesophageal disease. Recently, the pathogenesis of RH has become the focus of research. According to the latest research reports, upregulation of acid-sensitive receptors, distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide-positive nerve fibres, and psychiatric comorbidity have key roles in the pathogenesis of RH. This work reviews the latest findings regarding RH mechanisms.

Difficult Patients: Malingerers, Feigners, Chronic Complainers, and Real Imposters

Malingering is the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated symptoms motivated by internal and external incentives. The true incidence of malingering in the emergency department is unknown because of the difficulty of identifying whether patients are fabricating their symptoms. Malingering is considered a diagnosis of exclusion; a differential diagnosis framework is described to guide emergency physicians. Several case studies are presented and analyzed from a medical ethics perspective. Practical recommendations include use of the NEAL (neutral, empathetic, and avoid labeling) strategy when caring for patients suspected of malingering.

Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy Is an Effective Treatment Option for Managing Jackhammer Esophagus: A Single Center Experience

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Jackhammer esophagus (JE) is a rare hypercontractile motility disorder often associated with dysphagia, regurgitation, and chest pain. In patients with clinically relevant symptoms, treatment options aim to decrease esophageal contractions. Medical, endoscopic and surgical therapies have limited long-term efficacy. The advent of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has evolved as a minimally invasive treatment option. Yet data regarding JE is scare. As such we aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of JE.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a single center retrospective study of consecutive adult patients undergoing POEM for JE from April 2018 to September 2021. All procedures were conducted by a single endoscopist. Primary outcome was clinical success, defined as Eckardt score (ES) ≤3 following the procedure.

RESULTS

A total of 13 patients (mean age 58, 7 females) underwent POEM with a mean duration of symptoms of 42.6 months. Preprocedure mean ES was 8.92. Nine patients were treatment naive. Pre-POEM endoluminal functional luminal imaging probe (n=10) demonstrated a distensibility index of 0.34. The average length of follow-up after POEM was 15.8 months.There was a 92.3% (12/13) clinical success rate, with a mean post-POEM ES of 1.53. One patient's ES improved from 12 to 1 after POEM; however, 2.5 years later she developed recurrent symptoms (ES 10). Only 1 patient had endoscopic evidence of Los Angeles grade A esophagitis. One year after POEM, 5 patients had gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, but only 2 required acid suppression therapy.

CONCLUSION

POEM is an effective treatment modality with long-term efficacy. Larger, prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

Functional Chest Pain and Esophageal Hypersensitivity: A Clinical Approach

Functional chest pain, functional heartburn, and reflux hypersensitivity are 3 functional esophageal disorders defined by the Rome IV criteria. Specific criteria, combining symptoms and the results of objective testing, allow for an accurate diagnosis of these conditions. Management may include medications targeted at optimizing acid suppression or neuromodulation, as well as a host of complementary or alternative treatment options. Psychological and behavioral interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy, have displayed substantial benefits in the treatment of functional chest pain and functional heartburn. Acid suppression and focused neuromodulation are key evidence-based treatment options for reflux hypersensitivity.

[Therapeutic Response to 20 mg of Esomeprazole Twice Daily in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease-related Non-cardiac Chest Pain: An Open-Label Randomized Pilot Study]

Background/Aims

Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is defined as recurrent angina pectoris-like pain without evidence of coronary heart disease, and is usually related to esophageal diseases, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are important for diagnosis and treatment. Many studies have been conducted on the use of PPIs in patients with GERD-related NCCP. In contrast to standard-dose esomeprazole, the efficacy of half-dose esomeprazole twice daily (BD) has not been established. This study compared the efficacies of the two esomeprazole regimens in GERD-related NCCP.

Methods

In this prospective, open-label study, 37 participants with GERD-related NCCP were randomized to receive either 20 mg of esomeprazole BD (n=21) (esomeprazole BD group) or 40 mg once daily (n=16) (esomeprazole once daily [OD] group) for 4 weeks. In both groups, the chest pain score, which was calculated based on the frequency and severity, was evaluated before and 2 and 4 weeks after administering the medication.

Results

The chest pain score significantly improved in both groups (p<0.001). The proportion of patients with chest pain score improvement >50% was 7.7% higher in the esomeprazole BD group than in the esomeprazole OD group (95.2% vs. 87.5%), but the difference was not significant.

Conclusions

Esomeprazole BD was as effective as esomeprazole OD in improving GERD-related NCCP. Although statistically insignificant, the percentage of patients with >50% reduction in the chest pain score was higher in the esomeprazole BD group than in the esomeprazole OD group. Large-scale studies will be needed to assess these findings further.

Therapeutic efficacy of laparoscopic Heller-Dor surgery for chest pain in patients with achalasia: a single institutional experience

BACKGROUND

Chest pain reduces the quality of life of patients with achalasia. Although laparoscopic Heller-Dor surgery (LHD) is a standard surgical treatment for achalasia, its therapeutic efficacy for chest pain is not clear. The present study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of LHD for chest pain and tried to identify factors associated with the relief of chest pain.

METHODS

The study included 244 patients with preoperative chest pain who underwent LHD as the first surgical intervention. The questionnaire-based symptom frequency score was multiplied by the severity score, and the calculated metric was defined as the symptom score. The study population was stratified, by the change in the chest pain symptom score, into Complete Remission (CR), Partial Remission (PR), and No Remission (NR) groups, which were compared for patient background and surgical outcome. Multivariate analysis was also performed to determine factors associated with the relief of chest pain.

RESULTS

As for preoperative clinicopathological conditions, the CR subgroup was older (p = 0.0169) with fewer previous balloon dilatations (p = 0.009). Although no difference was detected in the surgical outcome, the NR group had higher postoperative symptom scores for both difficulty in swallowing and vomiting and a lower score for patient satisfaction with surgery (p = 0.0141). Multivariate analysis detected two factors associated with CR: disease duration over 60 months and less than two previous balloon dilatations.

CONCLUSIONS

LHD improved chest pain symptoms in 90% of patients with achalasia. The patients who achieved relief of chest pain were characterized by disease duration over 60 months and less than two previous balloon dilatations.

The Mexican consensus on non-cardiac chest pain

INTRODUCTION

Non-cardiac chest pain is defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by retrosternal pain similar to that of angina pectoris, but of non-cardiac origin and produced by esophageal, musculoskeletal, pulmonary, or psychiatric diseases.

AIM

To present a consensus review based on evidence regarding the definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and diagnosis of non-cardiac chest pain, as well as the therapeutic options for those patients.

METHODS

Three general coordinators carried out a literature review of all articles published in English and Spanish on the theme and formulated 38 initial statements, dividing them into 3 main categories: (i)definitions, epidemiology, and pathophysiology; (ii)diagnosis, and (iii)treatment. The statements underwent 3rounds of voting, utilizing the Delphi system. The final statements were those that reached >75% agreement, and they were rated utilizing the GRADE system.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The final consensus included 29 statements. All patients presenting with chest pain should initially be evaluated by a cardiologist. The most common cause of non-cardiac chest pain is gastroesophageal reflux disease. If there are no alarm symptoms, the initial approach should be a therapeutic trial with a proton pump inhibitor for 2-4weeks. If dysphagia or alarm symptoms are present, endoscopy is recommended. High-resolution manometry is the best method for ruling out spastic motor disorders and achalasia and pH monitoring aids in demonstrating abnormal esophageal acid exposure. Treatment should be directed at the pathophysiologic mechanism. It can include proton pump inhibitors, neuromodulators and/or smooth muscle relaxants, psychologic intervention and/or cognitive therapy, and occasionally surgery or endoscopic therapy.

A case of Jackhammer esophagus caused by eosinophilic esophagitis in which per-oral endoscopic myotomy resulted in symptom improvement

A 73-year-old female with a 6-month history of progressive dysphagia and chest pain was referred to our hospital. She underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which revealed abnormally strong contractions in the distal esophagus. Esophageal biopsy specimens showed massive eosinophil infiltration into the epithelium, and high-resolution manometry (HRM) also demonstrated abnormally strong contractions in the distal esophagus. Based on these results, she was diagnosed with Jackhammer esophagus (JHE) due to eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Treatment was started with 5 mg/day of prednisolone (PSL), and the number of peripheral blood eosinophils quickly decreased without any improvement in the patient's dysphagia. Esophageal biopsy specimens obtained after the PSL treatment showed the disappearance of eosinophils from the epithelium. However, abnormally strong contractions were still detected on HRM. Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) was performed to treat the JHE. Interestingly, the intraoperative esophageal muscle biopsy sample demonstrated massive eosinophil infiltration into the muscle layer. After the POEM, the patient's symptoms improved, and abnormal contractions were no longer detected on HRM. The current case suggests that when EoE combined with an esophageal motility disorder are refractory to steroid therapy, clinicians should be aware that motility disorders can develop due to eosinophil infiltration deep into the esophageal muscularis propria.

Health-related quality of life in gastroesophageal reflux patients with noncardiac chest pain: Emphasis on the role of psychological distress

AIM

To investigate the effects of depression and anxiety on health-related quality of life (QoL) in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients and those suffering from cardiac (CCP) and noncardiac (NCCP) chest pain in Wuhan, China.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 358 consecutive patients with GERD were enrolled in Wuhan, China, of which 176 subjects had complaints of chest pain. Those with chest pain underwent coronary angiography and were divided into a CCP group (52 cases) and NCCP group (124 cases). Validated GERD questionnaires were completed, and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey and Hospital Anxiety/Depression Scale were used for evaluation of QoL and psychological symptoms, respectively.

RESULTS

There were similar ratios and levels of depression and anxiety in GERD with NCCP and CCP. However, the QoL was obviously lower in GERD with CCP than NCCP (48.34 ± 17.68 vs 60.21 ± 20.27, P < 0.01). In the GERD-NCCP group, rather than the GERD-CCP group, the physical and mental QoL were much poorer in subjects with depression and/or anxiety than those without anxiety or depression. Anxiety and depression had strong negative correlations with both physical and mental health in GERD-NCCP (all P < 0.01), but only a weak relationship with mental components of QoL in GERD-CCP.

CONCLUSION

High levels of anxiety and depression may be more related to the poorer QoL in GERD patients with NCCP than those with CCP. This highlights the importance of evaluation and management of psychological impact for improving QoL in GERD-NCCP patients.

Diagnostic yield of 24-hour esophageal manometry in non-cardiac chest pain

BACKGROUND

In the past, ambulatory 24-h manometry has been shown useful for the evaluation of patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). With the diagnostic improvements brought by pH-impedance monitoring and high-resolution manometry (HRM), the contribution of ambulatory 24-h manometry to the diagnosis of esophageal hypertensive disorders has become uncertain. Our aim was to assess the additional diagnostic yield of ambulatory manometry to HRM and ambulatory pH-impedance monitoring in this patient population.

METHODS

All patients underwent 24-h ambulatory pressure-pH-impedance monitoring and HRM. Patients had retrosternal pain as a predominant symptom and no explanation after cardiologic and digestive endoscopic evaluations. Diagnostic measurements were analyzed by two independent physicians.

KEY RESULTS

Fifty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria; 37.3% of the patients had their symptoms explained by abnormalities on pH-impedance monitoring and 6.8% by ambulatory manometry. Functional chest pain was diagnosed in 52.5% of the patients. High-resolution manometry, using the Chicago Classification v3.0 criteria alone, did not identify any of the four patients with esophageal spasm on ambulatory manometry. However, taking into account other abnormalities, such as simultaneous (rapid) or repetitive contractions, HRM had a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 98.2% for the diagnosis of esophageal spasm.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

In the work-up of NCCP, ambulatory 24-h manometry has a low additional diagnostic yield. However, it remains the best technique to identify esophageal spasm as the cause of symptoms. This is particularly useful when an unequivocal diagnosis is needed before treatment.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy for Jackhammer esophagus: to cut or not to cut the lower esophageal sphincter

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

With the success of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) in treatment of achalasia, its successful application to other spastic esophageal motility disorders such as Jackhammer esophagus has been noted. The question of whether the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) should be included in the myotomy for Jackhammer esophagus is a topic of current debate. Here, we report our experience and results with four patients with Jackhammer esophagus treated with POEM. The clinical and manometric results are presented and their potential implications are discussed.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between January 2014 and July 2015, four patients underwent POEM for treatment of Jackhammer esophagus at our center. Manometry was performed prior to and after POEM. All patients met the Chicago classification criteria for Jackhammer esophagus and received a barium esophagram and endoscopic examination before having POEM.

RESULTS

All patients had uneventful procedures without any intraoperative or post-procedure complications. Patients in which the LES was included during POEM had resolution or significant improvement in symptoms. One patient in whom the LES was preserved had resolution of chest pain but developed significant dysphagia and regurgitation. Subsequently this individual received a repeat POEM which included the LES, resulting in symptom resolution.

CONCLUSIONS

POEM is a suitable treatment for patients with Jackhammer esophagus. Until there are larger-scale randomized studies, we speculate that based on our clinical experience and physiologic and manometric observations, obligatory inclusion of the LES is justified to reduce the risk of symptom development from iatrogenic ineffective esophageal motility or subsequent progression to achalasia.

A Review of Esophageal Chest Pain

Noncardiac chest pain is a term that encompasses all causes of chest pain after a cardiac source has been excluded. This article focuses on esophageal sources for chest pain. Esophageal chest pain (ECP) is common, affects quality of life, and carries a substantial health care burden. The lack of a systematic approach toward the diagnosis and treatment of ECP has led to significant disability and increased health care costs for this condition. Identifying the underlying cause(s) or mechanism(s) for chest pain is key for its successful management. Common etiologies include gastroesophageal reflux disease, esophageal hypersensitivity, dysmotility, and psychological conditions, including panic disorder and anxiety. However, the pathophysiology of this condition is not yet fully understood. Randomized controlled trials have shown that proton pump inhibitor therapy (either omeprazole, lansoprazole, or rabeprazole) can be effective. Evidence for the use of antidepressants and the adenosine receptor antagonist theophylline is fair. Psychological treatments, notably cognitive behavioral therapy, may be useful in select patients. Surgery is not recommended. There remains a large unmet need for identifying the phenotype and prevalence of pathophysiologic mechanisms of ECP as well as for well-designed multicenter clinical trials of current and novel therapies.

Shift, Interrupted: Strategies for Managing Difficult Patients Including Those with Personality Disorders and Somatic Symptoms in the Emergency Department

Difficult patients are often those who present with a mix of physical and psychiatric symptoms, and seem refractory to usual treatments or reassurance. such patients can include those with personality disorders, those with somatization symptoms; they can come across as entitled, drug-seeking, manipulative, or simply draining to the provider. Such patients are often frequent visitors to Emergency Departments. Other reasons for difficult encounters could be rooted in provider bias or countertransference, rather than sole patient factors. Emergency providers need to have high awareness of these possibilities, and be prepared to manage such situations, otherwise workup can be sub-standard and dangerous medical mistakes can be made.

Psychological interventions for symptomatic management of non-specific chest pain in patients with normal coronary anatomy

BACKGROUND

Recurrent chest pain in the absence of coronary artery disease is a common problem which sometimes leads to excess use of medical care. Although many studies have examined the causes of pain in these patients, few clinical trials have evaluated treatment. This is an update of a Cochrane review originally published in 2005 and last updated in 2010. The studies reviewed in this paper provide an insight into the effectiveness of psychological interventions for this group of patients.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of psychological interventions for chest pain, quality of life and psychological parameters in people with non-specific chest pain.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL, Issue 4 of 12, 2014 and DARE Issue 2 of 4, 2014), MEDLINE (OVID, 1966 to April week 4 2014), EMBASE (OVID, 1980 to week 18 2014), CINAHL (EBSCO, 1982 to April 2014), PsycINFO (OVID, 1887 to April week 5 2014) and BIOSIS Previews (Web of Knowledge, 1969 to 2 May 2014). We also searched citation lists and contacted study authors.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with standardised outcome methodology that tested any form of psychotherapy for chest pain with normal anatomy. Diagnoses included non-specific chest pain (NSCP), atypical chest pain, syndrome X or chest pain with normal coronary anatomy (as either inpatients or outpatients).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently selected studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed quality of studies. We contacted trial authors for further information about the included RCTs.

MAIN RESULTS

We included two new papers, one of which was an update of a previously included study. Therefore, a total of 17 RCTs with 1006 randomised participants met the inclusion criteria, with the one new study contributing an additional 113 participants. There was a significant reduction in reports of chest pain in the first three months following the intervention: random-effects relative risk = 0.70 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.92). This was maintained from three to nine months afterwards: relative risk 0.59 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.76). There was also a significant increase in the number of chest pain-free days up to three months following the intervention: mean difference (MD) 3.00 (95% CI 0.23 to 5.77). This was associated with reduced chest pain frequency (random-effects MD -2.26, 95% CI -4.41 to -0.12) but there was no evidence of effect of treatment on chest pain frequency from three to twelve months (random-effects MD -0.81, 95% CI -2.35 to 0.74). There was no effect on severity (random-effects MD -4.64 (95% CI -12.18 to 2.89) up to three months after the intervention. Due to the nature of the main interventions of interest, it was impossible to blind the therapists as to whether the participant was in the intervention or control arm. In addition, in three studies the blinding of participants was expressly forbidden by the local ethics committee because of issues in obtaining fully informed consent . For this reason, all studies had a high risk of performance bias. In addition, three studies were thought to have a high risk of outcome bias. In general, there was a low risk of bias in the other domains. However, there was high heterogeneity and caution is required in interpreting these results. The wide variability in secondary outcome measures made it difficult to integrate findings from studies.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

This Cochrane review suggests a modest to moderate benefit for psychological interventions, particularly those using a cognitive-behavioural framework, which was largely restricted to the first three months after the intervention. Hypnotherapy is also a possible alternative. However, these conclusions are limited by high heterogeneity in many of the results and low numbers of participants in individual studies. The evidence for other brief interventions was less clear. Further RCTs of psychological interventions for NSCP with follow-up periods of at least 12 months are needed.

[Chronic chest pain]

BACKGROUND

Chest pain is a symptom commonly reported by persons in the general population and represents a differential diagnostic challenge.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The paper is based on a narrative review with a selective search of the literature in Medline for reviews and guidelines on the prevalence and treatment of non-malignant diseases with chronic chest pain in gastroenterology, gynecology and cardiology.

RESULTS

The prevalence and current treatment recommendations for the different forms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), erosive and non-erosive types and irritable esophagus, non-cardiac chest pain, refractory angina in coronary heart disease and postmastectomy nand poststernotomy syndromes are presented. In cases of failure of the established therapy of a single medical discipline, an interdisciplinary assessment including psychosocial issues is recommended. Evidence-based guidelines are available for the management of GERD and of refractory angina. Treatment of postmastectomy and poststernotomy syndromes is based on case reports and expert opinion.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for controlled studies on the symptomatic treatment of pain in irritable esophagus, non-cardiac chest pain, postmastectomy and poststernotomy syndromes.