Normal Esophageal Body Function: A Study Using Ambulatory Esophageal Manometry

Abstract

This study provides normative data for ambulatory manometry for comparison when studying patients with disease.

Five-Year Audit of Ambulatory 24-Hour Esophageal pH-Manometry in Clinical Practice

“…Although the pH-manometry findings corresponded to the suggested referral indication group in a high percentage of cases, a mixed pattern and even opposing results were occasionally found. The potential to make such a variety of diagnoses by means of one examination is an important advantage of combined pH-manometry (16). This is supported by our finding that in about 40% of these patients both reflux and SEMD were present.…”

“…The method for measuring esophageal body motility has already been previously described by our and other research groups (8,9,16,27). Before starting the 24-h measurement, the patients also had wet swallows, which were observed online.…”

Twenty-Four-Hour Ambulatory versus Stationary Esophageal Manometry in the Evaluation of Esophageal Motility in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

“…Therefore, in GERD patients, swallowed solids might further influence an already impaired esophageal emptying by allowing an increased amount of gastric contents, refluxing through a relaxed LES for longer periods, not to be promptly rejected back into the stomach. Finally, it has been reported that esophageal motility becomes discoordinated during sleep [8], and this may further aggravate an already impaired esophageal clearance in GERD patients. Apparently, all the aforementioned circadian alterations in esophageal motor function cannot be detected by the standard stationary manometry.…”

“…As opposed to the stationary technique, ambulatory 24-hour esophageal manometry allows continuous recording of esophageal body contractions during normal daily activities, thus providing accurate information about effectiveness of esophageal peristalsis and detecting the precise incidence of complete, dropped, interrupted or mixed contractions [8, 9]. The method assessed esophageal motor activity at all positions and circadian situations, including normal meals.…”

“…Ambulatory esophageal manometry has been used to study esophageal body motor function in an accurate fashion during a 24-hour period, especially in patients with primary esophageal motility disorders [6, 7, 8]. Unlike time-limited and procedure-biased stationary manometry, ambulatory esophageal manometry allows evaluation of esophageal motility for a longer period and under normal daily activities, thus permitting more subjective results to be withdrawn [9].…”