Foreign body impaction in the esophagus: are there underlying motor disorders?

Results: Compared with the control group, the impacted subjects presented marked reduction in amplitude and duration of esophageal contraction in the proximal esophagus.

Conclusions: These motor disorders could be responsible for the foreign body impaction in the esophagus. However, we believe this patient group should be further studied by 24-hour esophageal manometry to reach a more accurate diagnosis by studying each patient's entire circadian cycle.

Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery: a large, international, prospective cohort study establishing diagnostic criteria, characteristics, predictors, and 30-day outcomes.

Background: Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) was defined as prognostically relevant myocardial injury due to ischemia that occurs during or within 30 days after noncardiac surgery. The study's four objectives were to determine the diagnostic criteria, characteristics, predictors, and 30-day outcomes of MINS.

Methods: In this international, prospective cohort study of 15,065 patients aged 45 yr or older who underwent in-patient noncardiac surgery, troponin T was measured during the first 3 postoperative days.

Esophageal stenosis: three-dimensional multidetector CT and virtual endoscopy.

The improvement in spatial, temporal, and contrast resolutions with the newest multidetector computed tomographic (MDCT) scanners opens the opportunity to explore other applications of the virtual endoscopy technique besides the colon and stomach evaluation. As a non-invasive technique, virtual esophagoscopy represents an alternative to conventional endoscopy for the assessment of esophageal stenosis. The procedure and diagnostic performance are reviewed.

Vagal dysfunction in irritable bowel syndrome assessed by rectal distension and baroreceptor sensitivity.

Autonomic nervous system dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study characterized the autonomic response to rectal distension in IBS using baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS), a measure of autonomic function. Rectal bag pressure, discomfort, pain, ECG, blood pressure and BRS were continuously measured before, during and after rectal distension in 98 healthy volunteers (34 +/- 12 years old, 52 females) and 39 IBS patients (39 +/- 11 years old, 35 females).

Pneumatic dilatation in achalasia of the esophagus: a report from Argentina.

We review the treatment of esophageal achalasia by means of pneumatic dilatation (PD), analyzing its results and comparing them with those of the literature. We conclude that our personal experience is similar to that of the literature: PD and surgery produce similar results (67-95%), morbidity (2-9.5%), and mortality (0.

Peptic esophageal stricture: a report from Argentina.

Peptic esophageal stricture (PES) is a major complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The aims of this paper were to determine the characteristics of these patients with regard to demography, morphology, functional status and results of therapy. The charts of the patients treated at our service who underwent esophageal dilatation for PES between 1971 and 1998 were reviewed.

Heterotopic gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus: report of a case with a fistula.

We report the case of a 36-year-old man with a patch of heterotopic gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus complicated by an esophageal fistula.

[Barrett s epithelium: clinical review].

In this paper we review the literature about regarding etiology, natural history, methods of study and treatment of Barrett's esophagus. Likewise we review our personal experience as well as the one at national level.

Foreign body impaction in the esophagus: are there underlying motor disorders?

Unlabelled: We observed in our practice several cases of impaction with meat boluses without bony edges, in patients with patent esophageal lumen. The aim of this study was to search for eventual underlying motor disorders which could be responsible for this impaction. We included 19 patients who attended the endoscopy service for meat bolus impaction without organic esophageal stenosis.

Esophageal perforation after pneumatic dilatation for achalasia: why?

Unlabelled: A retrospective study was performed to asses risk factors in patients with esophageal achalasia undergoing pneumatic dilatation. Of 140 patients who underwent 159 dilatations, 7 sustained esophageal perforation (4.4%).