What limitations are there to the use of esophageal manometry?
There are several situations in which esophageal manometry may not demonstrate the esophageal abnormality that is responsible for a patient’s problem. For example, many patients with GERD have transient (coming and going infrequently) but prolonged relaxation (minutes rather than seconds) of the lower sphincter as the cause of their reflux. Such relaxations may be missed in the short period during which the manometric study is being conducted. Similarly, if a patient is having infrequent episodes of chest pain due to esophageal spasm, for example, every few days or weeks, the spasm may not be seen during a short manometric study. There have been attempts to get around these problems by using portable equipment and prolonged manometry for two or more days. What are the side-effects of esophageal manometry? Although esophageal manometry is uncomfortable, the procedure is minimally painful because the nostril through which the tube is inserted is anesthetized. Once the tube is in place, p
