Esophageal motor function evaluated by scintigraphy, video-radiography and manometry in diabetic patients

Prolonged esophageal scintigraphic transit time is frequent in diabetic patients and is related to autonomic neuropathy. In this study, esophageal scintigraphic transit time was correlated to esophageal motor function as evaluated by video-radiography and manometry in 13 diabetic patients. An abnormal scintigraphic transit time (greater than 15 s) occurred in 6 patients. All patients with abnormal transit time showed abnormal results at video-radiography (n = 4) and/or manometry (n = 5), which were observed in only 2 of 7 patients with normal transit time (both with abnormal video-radiography and manometry). A prolonged scintigraphic transit appears reliable as an indicator of disturbed esophageal smooth muscle function since it is well correlated with abnormalities shown by a combination of video-radiography and manometry.     

Oesophageal motility disorders in patients with psychiatric disease

Clinical and experimental observations indicate that the motility of the oesophagus may be affected by emotional stimuli. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of oesophageal contractility impairment in patients suffering from a psychiatric disorder. Fifty-one patients admitted to the psychiatric department were submitted to an oesophageal transit study by means of krypton-81m. All patients with an abnormal oesophageal transit underwent manometry and endoscopy. The level of depression and anxiety was evaluated by the treating psychiatrist, using the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales. The oesophageal transit was abnormal in 13 patients. Two of these 13 patients refused manometric investigation. In ten of the 11 remaining patients, the manometry revealed functional motor abnormalities. Endoscopy, performed in all these ten patients, was normal. In conclusion, a high percentage of oesophageal contractility disturbances was found in psychiatric patients complaining of anxiety and/or depression. These abnormalities were detected by scintigraphy as well as by manometry. Owing to the normal endoscopic findings, these contraction abnormalities are likely to reflect a functional motor impairment.     

Radionuclide gastroesophageal motor studies.

Disorders of the upper digestive tract have a high impact on modern society, in terms of both direct and indirect health care costs and of social burden. The most common presenting symptom is either dysphagia or dyspepsia. Discriminating specific diagnoses within this wide group of diseases requires sound clinical judgment and application of procedures to distinguish organic from nonorganic disease and to further characterize the functional or motility disturbance of nonorganic diseases. Non-radionuclide-based diagnostic techniques include both noninvasive tests (upper gastrointestinal barium series, ultrasonography, and breath test for gastric emptying) and invasive procedures (fiberoptic endoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, pharyngeal manometry, stationary esophageal manometry, 24-h pH monitoring, esophageal biliary reflux monitoring, multichannel intraluminal impedance, and electrogastrography). Some of these techniques are not well tolerated by patients or not widely available. Radionuclide transit/emptying scintigraphy provides a means of characterizing exquisite functional abnormalities with a set of low-cost procedures that are easy to perform and widely available, entail a low radiation burden, closely reflect the physiology of the tract under evaluation, are well tolerated and require minimum cooperation by patients, and provide quantitative data for better intersubject comparison and for monitoring response to therapy. Despite the relatively low degree of standardization both in the scintigraphic technique per se and in image processing, these methods have shown excellent diagnostic performance in several function or motility disorders of the upper digestive tract. Dynamic scintigraphy with a radioactive liquid or semisolid bolus provides important information on both the oropharyngeal and the esophageal phases of swallowing, thus representing a useful complement or even a valid alternative to conventional invasive tests (such as stationary esophageal manometry) for evaluating abnormalities of oropharyngoesophageal transit. Clinical applications of esophageal transit scintigraphy include disorders such as nutcracker esophagus, esophageal spasm, noncardiac chest pain of presumed esophageal origin, achalasia, esophageal involvement of scleroderma, and gastroesophageal reflux and monitoring of response to therapy (either medical or surgical treatment of disease-for example, organic disease such as esophageal cancer). Scintigraphy with a radiolabeled test meal represents the gold standard for evaluating gastric emptying, whereas more recent radionuclide methods include dynamic antral scintigraphy and gastric SPECT for assessing gastric accommodation. Clinical applications of gastric-emptying scintigraphy include, among others, evaluation of patients with dyspepsia and evaluation of gastric function in various systemic diseases affecting gastric emptying. The present review includes the proposal of clinical algorithms for evaluating patients with the main disorders of the upper digestive tract. These algorithms, originally derived from available literature, have been developed on the basis of a vast clinical experience in conjunction with the specialists more deeply involved in the care of patients with such disorders (medical and surgical gastroenterologists and nuclear medicine physicians). The role of radionuclide gastroesophageal motor studies is clearly identified in the various steps of patients' management, from the initial diagnostic approach to functional characterization to postoperative follow-up or monitoring of medical therapy.     

"Nutcracker" esophagus: diagnosis with radionuclide esophageal scintigraphy versus manometry

"Nutcracker" esophagus is a syndrome consisting of chest pain and/or dysphagia with elevation of the mean distal esophageal contractile pressure amplitude (MDA) (greater than 120 mm Hg). Its existence as a disorder of esophageal function and the proper manometric diagnostic criteria have been debated. A correlative study of radionuclide esophageal scintigraphy (RES) and manometry was performed in 31 patients with this manometric diagnosis. RES results were abnormal in 13 of 16 (81%) patients with an MDA above 150 mm Hg, and in only three of 15 (20%) patients with an MDA below this level. There was a significant difference in RES parameters (mean transit time and percentage emptying) between these two groups. Repeat manometric and RES studies showed considerable variability, but only RES showed a significant correlation between baseline and repeat studies. RES confirms a functional disorder in a subgroup of patients with the manometric diagnosis of nutcracker esophagus and supports a change in the manometric criteria for diagnosis of this disorder to an MDA above 150 mm Hg.     

Progressive systemic sclerosis: radionuclide esophageal scintigraphy and manometry

Radionuclide esophageal scintigraphy (RES) and manometry were used for prospective evaluation of esophageal involvement and disease severity in 11 patients (nine women and two men; median time since diagnosis, 1 year) with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). Quantitation of RES included calculation of the percentage of emptying at 30 seconds, while manometry provided measurements of proximal, distal, and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressures. The findings of both RES and manometry were abnormal in all 11 patients. There was a high correlation between the percentage of emptying and either distal esophageal pressure (r = .86, P less than .01) or LES pressure (r = .79, P less than .01). No significant correlation was found between the percentage of emptying and proximal esophageal pressure (r = .28, P = .39). RES is a safe, simple procedure that is readily accepted by patients and can be used in place of manometry for the detection and staging of esophageal involvement in PSS.     

Esophageal radiography and manometry: correlation in 172 patients with dysphagia

Radiographic and manometric examinations of the esophagus were correlated in 172 patients with dysphagia. Esophageal manometry was abnormal in 66 (38%), with diagnoses of nonspecific esophageal motor disorder (26), achalasia (19), nutcracker esophagus (12), diffuse esophageal spasm (seven), and scleroderma (two). Compared with manometry, radiographic sensitivities were 95% (18 of 19) for achalasia, 71% (five of seven) for diffuse esophageal spasm, and 46% (12 of 26) for nonspecific esophageal motor disorder. Nutcracker esophagus was not diagnosed specifically on the radiographic examination. Overall radiographic sensitivity was 56% (37 of 66) but increased to 89% by excluding nutcracker esophagus and nonspecific esophageal motor disorders. In 106 manometrically normal patients, radiographic specificity was 91% with 10 false-positive diagnoses of nonspecific motor disorder. We conclude that radiographic examination of the esophagus is useful in patients with dysphagia for evaluating functional esophageal abnormalities, although detection rates vary widely with the type of motor disorder.     

Esophageal scintigraphy: applications and limitations in the study of esophageal disorders

This study examines the scintigraphic transit pattern in a variety of esophageal disorders. Scintigraphy was performed with a semi solid bolus and the patient in an upright position. Condensed esophageal images were obtained from which we derived the esophageal transit time. The pattern of bolus transit was graded by the duration of transit and by the presence of hold up or retrograde motion. Scintigrams were performed in 11 volunteers and 88 patients whose esophageal function had been confirmed by conventional gastroesophageal techniques. Esophageal disorders examined included achalasia (20), scleroderma (9), esophageal carcinoma (8), Barrett esophagus (5), and reflux esophagitis (27). We also examined the effects of gastroesophageal surgery on esophageal function. Transit times distinguished grossly abnormal esophageal function from normal but did not distinguish between different esophageal disorders. Graded transit patterns were a more sensitive indicator of esophageal function and permitted some differentiation between esophageal disorders and allowed evaluation of the effects of gastroesophageal surgery.     

Esophageal scintigraphy: Applications and limitations in the study of esophageal disorders

This study examines the scintigraphic transit patern in a variety of esophageal disorders. Scintigraphy was performed with a semi solid bolus and the patient in an upright position. condensed esophageal images were obtained from which we derived the esophageal transit time. The pattern of bolus transit was graded by the duration of transit and by the presence of hold up or retrograde motion. Scintigrams were performed in 11 volunteers and 88 patients whose esophageal function had been confirmed by conventional gastroesophageal techniques. Esophageal disorders examined included achalasia (20), scleroderma (9), esophageal carcinoma (8), Barrett esophagus (5), and reflux esophagitis (27). We also examined the effects of gastroesophageal surgery on esophageal function. Transit times distinguished grossly abnormal esophageal function from normal but did not distinguish between different esophageal disorders. Graded transit patterns were a more sensitive indicator of esophageal function and permitted some differentiation between esophageal disorders and allowed evaluation of the effects of gastroesophageal surgery.     

Oesophageal function tests: Are they of value?

Oesophageal function was assessed in 15 unselected control patients, eight patients with systemic sclerosis, 10 diabetics with autonomic neuropathy and 24 diabetic controls, by water bolus transit time derived from oesophageal scintigraphy, barium swallow and by timing the transit of a barium sulphate-filled capsule through the oesophagus. Water transit times and capsule transit times were significantly prolonged in patients with systemic sclerosis and diabetics with autonomic neuropathy, compared with controls. Barium swallow was abnormal in seven of eight patients with systemic sclerosis, whereas water transit time was abnormal in all eight and capsule transit time was abnormal in six of seven. Nine of 10 patients with diabetic autonomic neuropathy had abnormal barium swallows and water transit times but all 10 had prolonged capsule transit times. Eleven of 24 diabetic controls had abnormal barium swallows and water transit times, but 21 had abnormally prolonged capsule transit times. Six of 15 controls had abnormal barium swallows, four had abnormal water transit times and 12 had abnormal capsule transit times. In conclusion, water and capsule transit times are sensitive tests of oesophageal function and are as effective as barium swallow in detecting oesophageal motility disorders associated with systemic sclerosis and diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Capsule transit time is cheaper, involves a smaller radiation exposure than oesophageal scintigraphy and may be more sensitive.     

Simultaneous assessment of bolus transport and contraction parameters in multiple-swallow investigations.

A better understanding of scintigraphic findings may lead to a wider acceptance of esophageal transit studies. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to correlate standard manometric parameters with the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of liquid and semi-solid bolus transport. Twenty-nine patients were simultaneously investigated with esophageal scintigraphy and manometry. Single-swallow and sum-image data of six consecutive swallows were analyzed. No significant relationship between transit time and the velocity of the peristaltic wave could be identified, which suggests that factors other than peristaltic velocity (e.g., pharyngeal pump) essentially modulate esophageal transit. There was also no linear correlation between esophageal emptying and peristaltic amplitudes. Emptying was normal in patients with amplitudes greater than 30 mmHg and reduced in those with amplitudes less than 30 mmHg. This suggests that a threshold pressure greater than 30 mmHg is necessary to propel a test bolus adequately. Patterns in condensed images have been shown to specifically reflect the events in corresponding manometric recordings. Normal and different pathologic types of peristalsis presented analogous findings in both modalities. Thus, an analysis of the relationship between bolus transport and contraction parameters in simultaneous studies increases understanding of quantitative and qualitative scintigraphic results.     

Sphincter of Oddi stenosis: diagnosis using hepatobiliary scintigraphy and endoscopic manometry

To determine the role of radionuclide imaging in diagnosing sphincter of Oddi stenosis, 21 patients with symptoms suggesting this disorder underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, cholescintigraphy, and, when possible, endoscopic manometry. Those patients with abnormal hepatobiliary scintigraphy results--based on our criteria of delayed biliary intestinal transit, abnormal duct size, and abnormal time-activity dynamics and obstruction--had a mean basal sphincter pressure of 38.5 mm Hg. Sphincter pressures could not be measured in six patients with sphincters too tight to cannulate. Ten patients who underwent hepatobiliary scanning both before and after sphincter surgery had normal scan results on the repeat study. Hepatobiliary imaging appears useful for diagnosis of sphincter of Oddi stenosis in selected patients in whom manometry cannot be performed and for objective assessment of response to therapy.     

Quantitative evaluation of esophageal scintigraphy in systemic sclerosis]

BACKGROUND: Esophageal involvement by systemic sclerosis (SSc) is frequent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate esophageal motility disorders quantitatively. METHODS: We investigate esophageal scintigraphy in 22 patients with SSc. Esophageal scintigraphy was obtained with swallowing physiological saline in supine position, and swallowing soup in supine and sitting positions. Data was acquired with 0.5 sec per frame for 192 frames in the anterior view. We employed a condensed image as a visual evaluation, half-life and retention rate as a quantitative evaluation, which were obtained from time-activity curves generated from regions of interest on the whole esophagus. The half-life and retention rate were compared with classification of Barnett, stages of SSc, and modified Rodnan total skin score (TSS). RESULTS: No significant differences were seen in classification of Barnett and the stages of SSc. No significant difference was seen between swallowing water and soup in the supine position. The retention rate was significantly prolonged in the supine position than in the sitting position. The retention rate of soup study in the sitting position correlated with TSS (r = 0.61). CONCLUSION: Esophageal scintigraphy in the sitting position is useful in evaluation of esophageal motility in SSc.     

Motility disorders of the esophagus: diagnosis with barium-rice administration

Purpose: To evaluate the role of barium-rice administration for a standardized diagnosis of dysphagia and esophageal motility disorders. Materials and methods: Sixty healthy volunteers and 218 patients with various esophageal disorders (achalasia, scleroderma and other connective tissue diseases, neurologic diseases, esophagitis and others) were examined both by a conventional barium study and by a barium-rice study. The barium-rice meal consisted of barium sulfate and boiled rice, mixed half and half. The time required for esophageal clearance of one sip was measured. Results: Normal esophageal transit time in healthy controls was between 5 and 15 s for both methods. In patients, the conventional barium study revealed a prolonged transit time in only 16.5% (36 of the 218 cases). The barium-rice study was abnormal in 51.8% (113 of 218 cases), independent of the underlying disease. The barium-rice study was pathological in 77 of those 182 patients (42.3%) who had normal barium transit time. In 24 patients the radiologic results were confirmed by endoscopy and manometric measurements. Conclusions: Esophageal motility abnormalities are detected by a barium-rice study with a high sensitivity. With this simple and low-cost method, quantitative and reproducible results can be obtained. Barium-rice administration is a suitable tool for screening and follow-up of patients with dysphagia and esophageal motility disorders.     

老年胃食管反流病伴滑动性食管裂孔疝患者食管运动功能测定

本研究对老年、非老年胃食管反流病（GERD）伴与不伴滑动性裂孔疝（HH）患者进行食管测压和24h的pH监测，并与老年、非老年健康对照组进行比较。结果发现，老年GERD伴HH组食管下括约肌压力（LESP）明显低于老年GERD不伴HH组和老年对照组，非老年GERD伴HH组LESP明显低于非老年对照组。老年GERD伴HH组食管远端收缩压明显低于老年GERD不伴HH组。老年GERD有HH组与无HH组之间各项反流指标无显著性差异。提示滑动性裂孔疝影响老年、非老年GERD患者食管抗反流屏障功能及远端蠕动功能，且对老年患者影响更显著，但却不能显著增加老年GERD患者食管酸暴露时间。     

核素显像对贲门失弛症术后食管通过功能的评价

目的：应用核素显像技术，观察贲门失弛症Ｈｅｌｌｅｒ术后病人的食管通过功能。方法：口服含１８５ＭＢｑ９９ｍＴｃ－ＤＴＰＡ桔汁溶液１０ｍｌ，测定５分钟内的食管放射性计数，计算食管清除率。结果：Ｈｅｌｌｅｒ术后病人食管清除率明显优于术前组，但又显著低于正常对照组。结论：Ｈｅｌｌｅｒ手术能够改善贲门失弛症病人的食管通过功能，但不能达到正常人水平。     

Esophageal motor disorders: videofluoroscopic and manometric evaluation--prospective study in 88 symptomatic patients.

Esophageal motor disorders are best evaluated with manometry, which, however, is time-consuming and not generally available. The authors prospectively investigated the yield of videofluoroscopy in detection of esophageal motor disorders in comparison with that of manometry. Eighty-eight patients with dysphagia, globus sensation, noncardiac chest pain, or progressive systemic sclerosis underwent both manometry and videofluoroscopy at 0-32-day intervals. Videofluoroscopy was performed with one swallowing study in the upright position and up to three swallowing studies in the prone oblique position. Manometric diagnoses of achalasia (n = 15), diffuse esophageal spasm (n = 1), nonspecific esophageal motor disorders (n = 44), and adynamic esophagus (n = 9) were made. Videofluoroscopically, 87% of the patients with achalasia, the one patient with diffuse spasms, 73% of the patients with nonspecific esophageal motor disorders, and all of the patients with adynamic esophagus received a correct diagnosis, for an overall sensitivity of 80%. The radiographic specificity was 79%. The authors conclude that videofluoroscopy is a valuable and reasonably sensitive technique for screening for esophageal motor disorders.     

Quantitative evaluation of deglutition in the upper esophagus by scintigraphy]

To evaluate the function of deglutition quantitatively, radionuclide transit in the and upper esophagus was examined. Ten ml of water containing 185 MBq 99mTc pertechnetate was put into the mouth and isotopic counts were measured every 0.2 second in the oral cavity, upper and lower cervical esophagus, and upper mediastinum. The subjects were studied twice, once while sitting and once supine. Esophageal transit was evaluated with time-activity curves obtained in each region of interest. In twelve healthy volunteers transit of the radionuclide was significantly delayed in supine position compared with sitting position. Even while the subject was supine, the radionuclide was propelled into the lower cervical esophagus in 0.8 second and upper mediastinum in 1.4 second in the healthy volunteers. In the patient, who had reconstruction of the esophagus through posterior mediastinum, radionuclide transit was not different from that of healthy volunteers. Whereas in the patient, who had the reconstruction through retrosternal space, the transit was remarkably delayed. The esophageal scintigraphy was safe and sensitive enough to evaluated the function of deglutition quantitatively.     

Esophageal clearance scintigraphy,in diabetic patients — a preliminary study

The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the predictive value of esophageal clearance scintigraphy (ECS) in the diagnosis of esophageal autonomic neuropathy in diabetic patients without any esophageal symptoms. A single swallow ECS was performed in 12 diabetic patients and 15 normal volunteers, and esophageal transit time (ETT) and esophageal (Es) T 1/2 values were calculated. ETT and Es T 1/2 were found to be significantly prolonged in the diabetic group (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.05, respectively). In this preliminary study, our results strongly suggest that ECS may be an important noninvasive diagnostic tool in the evaluation of diabetic patients with asymptomatic esophageal autonomic neuropathy.     

Food-stimulated cholescintigraphy as a supplement to ERC in patients with suspected bile flow obstruction. A preliminary study

Cholescintigraphy after food stimulation was carried out in 40 patients (13 patients with biliary enteric bypass, 14 patients with bile duct stenosis, demonstrated by ERC, 5 patients with endoprothesis and 8 patients with clinically suspected post-cholecystectomy syndrome. Biliary-bowel transit time of one hour or less was considered to be normal. In patients with biliary enteric bypass 11 had a normal transit time; however, one with a concomitant anastomotic leakage, and 2 patients had prolonged transit time and a significant obstruction by the anastomosis. All 14 patients with demonstrated biliary stricture had normal transit time. In 5 patients with endoprothesis, 2 had prolonged transit time in spite of patent endoprothesis. Finally, in the 8 patients with suspected post-cholecystectomy syndrome, 4 had normal sphincter of Oddi manometry and normal transit time, and 4 had abnormal sphincter of Oddi manometry, but only one with prolonged transit time. It is concluded that in patients with biliary enteric bypass (hepatico-jejunostomia) or biliary strictures a biliary-bowel transit time of one hour will be discriminatory between normal and abnormal conditions. This is in contrast to patients with endoprothesis and suspected sphincter of Oddi dysmotility, where a transit time of one hour only will have limited predictive value.     

Esophageal scintigraphy: reproducibility and normal ranges.

Esophageal scintigraphy has been rather widely used, but much debated as a simple screening method of esophageal dysfunction. However, reports of normal ranges, age dependence and reproducibility are very limited. We studied 60 healthy subjects with a mean age of 43 yr (26, 19, 15 subjects aged 20-39, 40-59, and 60-79 yr) to establish normal ranges and variations of esophageal mean transit time and residual activity measured by a radionuclide method using [99mTc] pertechnetate labeled water. Mean transit time was calculated by Zierler's formula. The median values and 95% percentiles of single measurements of MTT and residual activity in the supine position were 6.1 (3.2-11.5) sec and 11.5 (3.0-50)%, respectively. The coefficients of variation (CV) were 20%-35% for mean transit time and 85%-120% for residual activity in the sitting and supine positions. When double measurements were used, the CVs were reduced to 10% for MTT and 40% for residual activity in the supine position. The values did not change with age except for a higher frequency of spikes in subjects over 40 yr. The study has demonstrated that mean transit time for radiolabeled water in the esophagus of healthy subjects, measured by double determinations, has rather low, age-independent, interobserver and intersubject variabilities. In contrast, measurements of residual activity shows unacceptably high variations.