Acotiamide Has No Effects on Esophageal Motor Activity or Esophagogastric Junction Compliance

Normative values for esophageal functional lumen imaging probe measurements: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The functional lumen imaging probe (Endoflip™) is increasingly used for evaluation of patients with esophageal symptoms. To improve the interpretation of Endoflip™ in clinical practice, normative values with appropriate cut-off values are required.

METHODS

Original clinical studies describing Endoflip™ use for measurements of esophageal motility in healthy adults were considered. Meta-analysis was performed based on published values.

RESULTS

A total of 17 articles were included in the systematic review, 15 of which were included in the meta-analysis, representing 154 unique subjects. At 40 ml distention, the 5th-95th and 10th-90th percentiles for esophagogastric junction distensibility index (EGJ-DI) were 1.96-10.95 mm² /mmHg and 2.36-8.95 mm² /mmHg, respectively. An EGJ-DI below 2 mm² /mmHg was found in 5.4%, and below 3 mm² /mmHg in 20.1% of healthy subjects. At 50 ml distention, the 5th-95th and 10th-90th percentiles for EGJ-DI are 2.86-10.66 mm² /mmHg and 3.28-9.12 mm² /mmHg, respectively (below 2 mm² /mmHg: 0.6%, 3 mm² /mmHg: 6.3%). The 5th-95th and 10th-90th percentiles for EGJ-DI at 60 ml distention were 3.06-8.14 mm² /mmHg and 3.33-7.18 mm² /mmHg, respectively (below 2 mm² /mmHg: 0.0%, 3 mm² /mmHg: 7%). A clear cut-off for lower values was identified while a large spread in values was observed for upper limits of normal for EGJ-DI for all filling volumes.

CONCLUSIONS

Given these observations, we recommend using a cut-off of 2 mm² /mmHg for clinical practice, values below can be considered abnormal. Given that 5.4% of the healthy subjects will have an EGJ-DI below 2 mm² /mmHg at 40 ml, we recommend using the 50 and 60 ml distention volumes. The clinical use of an upper limit for normality of EGJ-DI seems questionable.

Early effects of acotiamide or mosapride intake on gastric emptying: a randomized 3-way crossover study using the 13C breath test

The effects of acotiamide on gastrointestinal motility have not been sufficiently investigated. The aim of this study was to determine whether single preprandial acotiamide or mosapride intake might affect the gastric emptying rate using the ¹³C breath test. Here, 11 healthy volunteers participated in a randomized three-way crossover study. The subjects received acotiamide (100 mg) or mosapride (5 mg) or placebo before liquid test meal ingestion. Gastric emptying was estimated by determining following parameters: the time required for 50% emptying of the labeled meal (T1/2), lag time for 10% emptying of the labeled meal (Tlag), gastric emptying coefficient (GEC) and regression-estimated constants (β and κ). These parameters were calculated from a ¹³CO₂ breath excretion curve using conventional formulas. The acotiamide, mosapride and placebo conditions were compared, revealing that for gastric emptying rates (values expressed as median), T1/2 (87.83571 min vs 79.95057 min vs 88.74378 min, p = 0.1496), Tlag (46.36449 min vs 42.2897 min vs 47.08094 min, p = 0.4966), GEC (4.382027 vs 4.211441 vs 4.248495, p = 0.8858), β (1.917728 vs 1.757062 vs 1.869141, p = 0.4066) and κ (0.834051 vs 0.819820 vs 0.789523, p = 0.1225) did not significantly differ. In this study, acotiamide (100 mg) or mosapride (5 mg) had no effect on gastric emptying.

The use of impedance planimetry (Endoscopic Functional Lumen Imaging Probe, EndoFLIP® ) in the gastrointestinal tract: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The EndoFLIP® system is a method of delineating impedance and was first designed to investigate the characteristics of the esophago-gastric junction. In the last decade, its use was widened to investigate other sphincteric and non-sphincteric systems of the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of the present systematic review was to summarize the available data in literature on the use of the EndoFLIP® system in the gastrointestinal tract, including sphincteric and non-sphincteric regions. We performed a systematic review in accordance with recommendations for systematic review using PRISMA guidelines without date restriction, until June 2020, using MEDLINE-PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases. Only articles written in English were included in the present review. Five hundred and six unique citations were identified from all database combined. Of those, 95 met the inclusion criteria. There was a lack of standardization among studies in terms of anesthetic drugs use, probe placement, and inflation protocol. In most cases, only small cohorts of patients were included. Most studies investigated the EGJ, with a potential use of the EndoFLIP® to identify a subgroup of patients with achalasia and for intraoperative assessment of treatment efficacy in achalasia. However, the use of EndoFLIP® in the esophageal body (esophageal panometry), other esophageal diseases (gastro-esophageal reflux disease, eosinophilic esophagitis), and other sphincter regions (anal canal, pylorus) will need further confirmatory studies. The EndoFLIP® system provides detailed geometric data of the gastrointestinal lumen but further works are needed to determine its use in clinical practice.

Effects of acotiamide on functional dyspepsia patients with heartburn who failed proton pump inhibitor treatment in Japanese patients: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study

BACKGROUND

Functional dyspepsia (FD) and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) are gastrointestinal disorders that often overlap. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, the effects of adding acotiamide to treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPI) were investigated in FD patients with heartburn who failed PPI treatment, corresponding to PPI-resistant NERD.

METHODS

The subjects included 16 FD patients with heartburn who failed PPI treatment, and they were administered acotiamide or a placebo for 28 days. After suspending medication for 28 days, the trial drug and placebo were crossed over and administered for 28 days. Before the study began and after each administration period, high-resolution impedance manometry (HRiM) was performed, and the modified frequency scale for the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (FSSG) questionnaire was administered.

KEY RESULTS

Postprandial fullness in the FD assessment and all modified FSSG items were significantly lower in the acotiamide group than in the placebo group. Esophagogastric junction pressure was significantly higher in the acotiamide group. The distal contractile integral (DCI) pressure and the highest DCI pressure both increased significantly in the acotiamide group. Moreover, in the acotiamide group, the frequency of abnormal primary peristalsis decreased to normal levels; complete bolus transit (CBT), an indicator of esophageal clearance, increased; and CBT time decreased.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

Acotiamide was considered to improve upper gastrointestinal functions not only in the stomach but also in the esophagus. Adding acotiamide to PPI therapy appears to improve upper abdominal symptoms in FD patients with heartburn who failed PPI treatment.