HOW IS ESOPHAGEAL MANOMETRY PERFORMED?
The procedure takes about 40 minutes from start to finish. The technician will verify that you have not eaten anything within 6 hours. At the start of the test, you will be sitting upright. One nostril is anesthetized with a numbing lubricant. A thin flexible plastic tube approximately one-eighth inch in diameter is then passed through the anesthetized nostril, down the back of the throat, and into the esophagus as the patient swallows. With further swallowing, the tube is passed down into the stomach. There may be some slight gagging during some of the passage, but it is easily controlled by following instructions. Occasionally, the tube is passed through the mouth and not the nose. With the tube inside the esophagus, you will lie down on your back. After a short rest to allow the pressures to equilibrate, the test will begin. The pressures generated by the esophageal muscle will be measured when the muscle is at rest and during swallows. During the test, the technician usually asks t
