Esophageal motility in patients with esophageal caustic injury

Abstract

Objective: There are few studies of esophageal function subsequent to the ingestion of lye. We investigated the esophageal motility of patients who had ingested liquid sodium hydroxide.

Methods: Esophageal manometry was performed on 21 patients who [1-53 yr before the manometric examination (median: 13 yr)] had drunk 10-30 g of sodium hydroxide diluted in water. The results were compared with those obtained for a control group of 22 healthy volunteers.

Results: The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure of the caustic group (14.9 +/- 1.7 mm Hg, mean +/- SE) did not differ (p > 0.05) from that of the control group (17.4 +/- 1.1 mm Hg). LES pressure in eight patients was below 10 mm Hg. The amplitude of contraction was lower (p < 0.01) in the caustic group than in the control group. In the proximal part of the esophageal body, the duration of contraction was longer (p < 0.01) in the caustic group (2.3 +/- 0.1 s) than in controls (1.8 +/- 0.1 s). Nonperistaltic contraction was a finding in 14 patients, repetitive in five of them. The velocity of peristaltic contractions was higher (p < 0.05) in the caustic group (distal: 3.2 +/- 0.2 cm/s) than in the control group (2.2 +/- 0.2 cm/s). Although there was some impairment of esophageal motor function in 71% of the patients, they were asymptomatic when we performed esophageal manometry.

Conclusions: Esophageal motility impairment was present in most of the patients who ingested sodium hydroxide. Nonperistaltic contractions of low amplitude were found most frequently.