Sliding Hiatus Hernia: A Two-Step Pressure Pump of Gastroesophageal Reflux

American Foregut Society Cooperative White Paper on Mechanisms of Pathologic Reflux and Antireflux Surgery

Background:

Within the spectrum of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), pathologic reflux applies to the subset of patients with either erosive esophagitis or abnormal esophageal acid exposure on pH-metry, consequences of a dysfunctional antireflux barrier (ARB).

Methods:

The American Foregut Society (AFS) tasked a 13-member working group of expert foregut surgeons and esophagologists (The ARB Cooperative) to develop a white paper on ARB function, dysfunction, and mechanisms of action of antireflux surgery through discussion of relevant literature summarized herein.

Results:

The ARB Cooperative concluded that pathologic reflux is a consequence of the interplay between progressive anatomical distortion of the ARB and physiology. Factors contributing to ARB dysfunction include (1) separation of crural diaphragm from the lower esophageal sphincter with widening of the hiatus and diminished crural diaphragm sphincteric function; (2) loss of the intra-abdominal lower esophageal sphincter segment with complete disabling of the flap valve component of the ARB; (3) axial hiatal hernia leading to reflux during swallow-induced lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation, LES hypotension, inspiration related reflux, a lowered threshold for eliciting transient LES relaxations, and increased compliance of the gastroesophageal junction leading to greater diameter of sphincter opening during transient LES relaxations. With regard to antireflux surgery, the objectives include: (1) reduction of hiatal hernia and restoration of the intra-abdominal esophageal segment; (2) repair of the dilated hiatus; (3) restoring flap valve function by modifying gastroesophageal anatomy; and (4) restricting gastroesophageal junction opening during periods of relaxation.

Conclusions:

This ARB Cooperative white paper supports the concept of there being 3 major inter-related mechanisms promoting ARB competence: the LES as an intrinsic sphincter, the crural diaphragm as an extrinsic sphincter, and the gastroesophageal valve, a mechanical 1-way valve. Pathological reflux occurs with progressive anatomical disruption of the ARB which in turn leads to physiological dysfunction, the severity of which parallels the extent of anatomical disruption. The corollary of this is that the primary mechanism of antireflux surgery is to restore the ARB by eliminating or compensating for its anatomical disruption. It is the hope of the cooperative that understanding the proposed framework will help clinicians and researchers in improving antireflux procedures.

Phrenic Ampulla Emptying Dysfunction in Patients with Esophageal Symptoms

Background/Aims

Pharyngeal pump, esophageal peristalsis, and phrenic ampulla emptying play important roles in the propulsion of bolus from the mouth to the stomach. There is limited information available on the mechanism of normal and abnormal phrenic ampulla emptying. The goal of our study is to describe the relationship between bolus flow and esophageal pressure profiles during the phrenic ampulla emptying in normal subjects and patient with phrenic ampulla dysfunction.

Methods

Pressure (using topography) and bolus flow (using changes in impedance) relationship through the esophagus and phrenic ampulla were determined in 15 normal subjects and 15 patients with retrograde escape of bolus from the phrenic ampulla into esophagus during primary peristalsis.

Results

During the phrenic ampulla phase, 2 high pressure peaks (proximal, related to lower esophageal sphincter and distal, related to crural diaphragm) were observed in normal subjects and patients during the phrenic ampulla emptying phase. The proximal was always higher than the distal one in normal subjects; in contrast, reverse was the case in patients with the retrograde escape of bolus from the phrenic ampulla into the esophagus.

Conclusions

We propose that a strong after-contraction of the lower esophageal sphincter plays an important role in the normal phrenic ampullary emptying. A defective lower esophageal after-contraction, along with high crural diaphragm pressure are responsible for the phrenic ampulla emptying dysfunction.

Esophageal Symptoms and Lumbosacral Back Pain

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Esophageal symptoms, that is, heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, and chest pain are common in the general population. Also common are symptoms of back pain related to pathology in the lumbosacral spine. The right crus of the diaphragm that forms the esophageal hiatus, originates from lumbar spine, may be affected by lumbar spine pathology resulting in esophageal symptoms. We studied whether there was an association between esophageal symptoms and spine symptoms.

METHODS

Two patient groups of 150 each were investigated: group 1 (ES); patients referred to the esophageal manometry study for assessment of esophageal symptoms, group 2 (SC); patients undergoing screening colonoscopy (control group). Both groups completed standardized questionnaires assessing esophageal and spine symptoms.

RESULTS

Back pain was reported by 74% of patients in the ES group as compared to 55% of patients in the SC group. Thirty percent of patients in the SC group reported one or more esophageal symptoms and these patients were regrouped with the ES group, resulting in 2 groups, ES1 and SC1, with and without esophageal symptoms, respectively. The ES1 group was 3.3 times more likely to experience back pain compared to the SC1 group (95% confidence interval: 1.95-5.46). Thoracolumbar was the most common site of pain in both groups. Pain score was greater for the group with esophageal symptoms compared to controls. Narcotic intake for most patients in the ES1 group was for back pain.

CONCLUSION

A strong association between esophageal symptoms and thoracolumbar back pain raises the possibility that structural and functional changes in the esophageal hiatus muscles related to thoracolumbar spine pathology lead to esophageal dysmotility and symptoms.