WHAT IS NORMAL ESOPHAGEAL MOTILITY - AN AMBULATORY STUDY

Background: Our aim was to establish normal values for wave characteri stics and patterns in long-term ambulatory oesophageal body motility. Methods: A pressure sensor was positioned in the pharynx or cricophary ngeus for swallow detection. Oesophageal body pressures were recorded 5, 10, and 15 cm above the lower oesophageal sphincter. Contraction pa tterns and wave characteristics from eating, drinking, and postprandia l, fasting, and supine periods in 16 healthy subjects were studied. Re sults: Contraction patterns were similar during eating and drinking pe riods or fasting and postprandial periods (P > 0.05). Wave characteris tics during each period differed significantly in amplitude, duration, area under the curve, or peristaltic velocity (P < 0.05). During the eating period the amplitude and area under the curve were greatest, an d peristaltic velocity was slowest compared with all other periods. Co nclusions: Data from the eating and drinking periods or the fasting an d postprandial periods can be combined for contraction pattern analysi s but not for wave characteristic analysis, for which data from differ ent periods should be analysed separately.