Disturbed Oesophageal Manometric Responses in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis and Pulmonary Aspergilloma

Two patients suffering from pulmonary aspergilloma and ankylosing spondylitis were found to have major disturbances of oesophageal function as demonstrated by measurements of oesophageal pressure. One patient suffered from dysphagia; a barium meal suggested the presence of a hiatus hernia. The other patient had no oesophageal symptoms; a barium swallow was normal. Manometry showed that in both subjects the gastrooesophageal sphincter failed to relax on swallowing and there was defective peristalsis in the oesophagus. It is postulated that these abnormalities predispose the subject to pulmonary complications which occasionally develop in ankylosing spondylitis.