How to select patients for antireflux surgery? The ICARUS guidelines (international consensus regarding preoperative examinations and clinical characteristics assessment to select adult patients for antireflux surgery).

OBJECTIVE: Antireflux surgery can be proposed in patients with GORD, especially when proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use leads to incomplete symptom improvement. However, to date, international consensus guidelines on the clinical criteria and additional technical examinations used in patient selection for antireflux surgery are lacking. We aimed at generating key recommendations in the selection of patients for antireflux surgery. DESIGN: We included 35 international experts (gastroenterologists, surgeons and physiologists) in a Delphi process and developed 37 statements that were revised by the Consensus Group, to start the Delphi process. Three voting rounds followed where each statement was presented with the evidence summary. The panel indicated the degree of agreement for the statement. When 80% of the Consensus Group agreed (A+/A) with a statement, this was defined as consensus. All votes were mutually anonymous. RESULTS: Patients with heartburn with a satisfactory response to PPIs, patients with a hiatal hernia (HH), patients with oesophagitis Los Angeles (LA) grade B or higher and patients with Barrett's oesophagus are good candidates for antireflux surgery. An endoscopy prior to antireflux surgery is mandatory and a barium swallow should be performed in patients with suspicion of a HH or short oesophagus. Oesophageal manometry is mandatory to rule out major motility disorders. Finally, oesophageal pH (±impedance) monitoring of PPI is mandatory to select patients for antireflux surgery, if endoscopy is negative for unequivocal reflux oesophagitis. CONCLUSION: With the ICARUS guidelines, we generated key recommendations for selection of patients for antireflux surgery.

Correlation of esophageal clearance and dysphagia symptom assessment after treatment for achalasia.

BACKGROUND: Early relapse after treatment of achalasia occurs in 10-32 % of patients. The best method to follow up these patients is not known. Symptoms often do not correlate with esophageal clearance: some patients are oligosymptomatic despite persistent esophageal stasis/dilatation. AIM: The aim was to compare two methods of measurement of esophageal clearance (impedance manometry with barium swallow) in achalasia patients following treatment. Symptom assessment (Eckardt score/detailed dysphagia questions) was correlated with objective measurements of esophageal stasis (barium swallow and impedance manometry) in achalasia patients following treatment. METHODS: Post-treatment patients were followed up after median 38.4 months (median range 1-144 months). Symptoms were quantified using the Eckardt score and detailed dysphagia questions. Timed barium swallow quantified distal esophageal retention 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 minutes after oral contrast and impedance manometry assessed total and segmental esophageal clearance during water/viscous swallows and free drinking (200 mL). RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (7 women, age 48.3; range 20-74) completed all investigations. Bolus retention in the distal esophagus assessed by impedance correlated well with barium swallow. There were no differences in impedance and timed barium swallow parameters between patients with Eckardt score 0-2 points or ≥3 points. Nine (28%) patients had an Eckardt score ≥3 points and 21 (66%) had ≥1 point in the detailed dysphagia questions. Patients without any dysphagia history had lower barium column height and width at 3 and 5 minutes compared to those with ≥1 positive answer in the detailed dysphagia questions. Correlation between the Eckardt score and detailed dysphagia questions was moderately good (r = 0.546; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: A detailed history of esophageal dysphagia rather than the Eckardt score is more sensitive to detect oligosymptomatic patients with disturbed esophageal clearance. Impedance manometry correlates well with the timed-barium swallow examination and represents an alternative objective assessment as it avoids radiation exposure.

Characteristics of the esophageal low-pressure zone in healthy volunteers and patients with esophageal symptoms: assessment by high-resolution manometry.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal motility studies in humans have documented a low-pressure zone (LPZ) in the area of transition from striated to smooth muscle. While preliminary studies indicate that a bolus might be retained in this area, the clinical relevance of the LPZ remains unclear. AIM: To investigate a possible relationship between esophageal symptoms and the size of the esophageal LPZ. METHODS: We reviewed high-resolution manometry (HRM) data from patients with esophageal symptoms (dysphagia, chest pain, and heartburn/regurgitation) and asymptomatic volunteers. The proximal border of the LPZ was defined as the point where the amplitude of the proximal contraction wave declined below 30 mmHg, and the distal border as the point where the distal contraction wave first increased above 30 mmHg. RESULTS: The average (+/- standard error of mean [SEM]) length of the LPZ in 44 asymptomatic individuals was 5.4 +/- 0.6 cm and did not differ (P= 0.222) from the LPZ in 64 patients with dysphagia (6.8 +/- 0.4 cm), 34 patients with chest pain (6.4 +/- 0.6 cm), and 42 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms (7.0 +/- 0.6 cm). These results did not change when the length of the LPZ was corrected for total esophageal length. The time width of the LPZ in asymptomatic individuals (1.6 +/- 0.2 s) was shorter than in patients with dysphagia and GERD symptoms (dysphagia 2.4 +/- 0.2 s, GERD symptoms 2.8 +/- 0.3 s). CONCLUSION: A time delay between the proximal and distal esophageal contraction waves might be a meaningful variable in GERD and dysphagia.