Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Oct;6(4):440-5.
doi: 10.5009/gnl.2012.6.4.440. Epub 2012 Oct 18.

Impaired esophageal bolus transit in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and abnormal esophageal Acid exposure

Yu Kyung Cho  1 , Myung-Gyu Choi, Chul Hyun Lim, Jin Su Kim, Jae Myung Park, In Seok Lee, Sang Woo Kim, Kyu-Yong Choi
Affiliations

Impaired esophageal bolus transit in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and abnormal esophageal Acid exposure

Yu Kyung Cho et al. Gut Liver. 2012 Oct.

Abstract

Background/aims: We assessed the bolus transit and motility characteristics in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients with abnormal esophageal pH monitoring.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the combined impedance-esophageal manometry data from consecutive patients who had abnormal acid exposure during 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring. We compared these data to the results from functional heartburn (FH) and asymptomatic volunteers.

Results: The data from 33 GERD patients (mean age of 51 years, 18 males), 14 FH patients (mean age of 51 years, one male), and 20 asymptomatic volunteers (mean age of 27 years, nine males) were analyzed. Ineffective esophageal motility was diagnosed in 10% of the volunteers, 21% of the FH patients, and 15% of the GERD patients. Ineffective contraction was more frequent in GERD and FH patients than in volunteers (16% and 20% vs 6%, respectively; p<0.05). Additionally, 10% of the volunteers, 21% of the FH patients and 36% of the GERD patients had an abnormal bolus transit. Complete bolus transit was less frequent, and bolus transit was slower in GERD patients than in volunteers for liquid (70% vs 85%) and viscous swallows (57% vs 73%). A longer acid clearance time was associated with abnormal bolus transit in the GERD group.

Conclusions: Patients with GERD have mild peristaltic dysfunction and incomplete and slower esophageal bolus transit. These conditions predispose them to prolonged acid contact with the esophagus.

Keywords: Bolus transit; Gastroesophageal reflux; Impedance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Acid clearance time according to bolus transit abnormality in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. (A) Liquid swallows. (B) Viscous swallows.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kahrilas PJ, Dodds WJ, Hogan WJ, Kern M, Arndorfer RC, Reece A. Esophageal peristaltic dysfunction in peptic esophagitis. Gastroenterology. 1986;91:897–904. - PubMed
    1. Leite LP, Johnston BT, Barrett J, Castell JA, Castell DO. Ineffective esophageal motility (IEM): the primary finding in patients with nonspecific esophageal motility disorder. Dig Dis Sci. 1997;42:1859–1865. - PubMed
    1. Sifrim D, Tutuian R. Oesophageal intraluminal impedance can identify subtle bolus transit abnormalities in patients with mild oesophagitis. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005;17:303–305. - PubMed
    1. Chen CL, Yi CH, Cook IJ. Differences in oesophageal bolus transit between patients with and without erosive reflux disease. Dig Liver Dis. 2008;40:348–354. - PubMed
    1. Fass J, Silny J, Braun J, et al. Measuring esophageal motility with a new intraluminal impedance device. First clinical results in reflux patients. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1994;29:693–702. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources