Upright Integrated Relaxation Pressure Facilitates Characterization of Esophagogastric Junction Outflow Obstruction.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Under the Chicago Classification of esophageal motility disorders, esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO) includes a varied clinical spectrum that results in diagnostic and management difficulties. We aimed to demonstrate that including upright swallows during high-resolution manometry (HRM) helps identify patients with clinically significant EGJOO. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of consecutive patients diagnosed with EGJOO on HRM from January 2015 through July 2017. HRM studies included 10 supine and 5 upright 5-ml liquid swallows. HRM values, esophagrams, and patient-reported outcomes were evaluated to identify factors associated with objective EGJOO (defined by esophagram) and symptomatic dysphagia (brief esophageal dysphagia questionnaire scores, >10). RESULTS: Of the 1911 patients who had HRM during the study period, 16.2% (310) were diagnosed with EGJOO; 155 patients completed an esophagram and 227 completed the brief esophageal dysphagia questionnaire. Of these patients, 30.3% (47/155) had radiographic evidence of EGJOO and 52.4% (119/227) had symptomatic dysphagia. The median upright integrated relaxation pressure for patients with radiographic evidence of EGJOO or symptomatic dysphagia was higher than for patients without. An upright integrated relaxation pressure >12 mmHg identified patients with radiographic evidence of EGJOO with 97.9% sensitivity and 15.7% specificity; for symptomatic dysphagia these values were 88.2% and 23.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: An upright integrated relaxation pressure of >12 mmHg identifies patients with clinically significant esophageal outflow obstruction or dysphagia with a high level of sensitivity. This simple manometric maneuver (upright swallows) should be added to the standard manometric protocol.

Biodegradable stent or balloon dilatation for benign oesophageal stricture: pilot randomised controlled trial.

AIM: To undertake a randomised pilot study comparing biodegradable stents and endoscopic dilatation in patients with strictures. METHODS: This British multi-site study recruited seventeen symptomatic adult patients with refractory strictures. Patients were randomised using a multicentre, blinded assessor design, comparing a biodegradable stent (BS) with endoscopic dilatation (ED). The primary endpoint was the average dysphagia score during the first 6 mo. Secondary endpoints included repeat endoscopic procedures, quality of life, and adverse events. Secondary analysis included follow-up to 12 mo. Sensitivity analyses explored alternative estimation methods for dysphagia and multiple imputation of missing values. Nonparametric tests were used. RESULTS: Although both groups improved, the average dysphagia scores for patients receiving stents were higher after 6 mo: BS-ED 1.17 (95%CI: 0.63-1.78) P = 0.029. The finding was robust under different estimation methods. Use of additional endoscopic procedures and quality of life (QALY) estimates were similar for BS and ED patients at 6 and 12 mo. Concomitant use of gastrointestinal prescribed medication was greater in the stent group (BS 5.1, ED 2.0 prescriptions; P < 0.001), as were related adverse events (BS 1.4, ED 0.0 events; P = 0.024). Groups were comparable at baseline and findings were statistically significant but numbers were small due to under-recruitment. The oesophageal tract has somatic sensitivity and the process of the stent dissolving, possibly unevenly, might promote discomfort or reflux. CONCLUSION: Stenting was associated with greater dysphagia, co-medication and adverse events. Rigorously conducted and adequately powered trials are needed before widespread adoption of this technology.