No abstract available.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage*

No abstract available.
Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis* ; Proton Pump Inhibitors* ; Proton Pumps* ; Protons*

No abstract available.
Humans

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a digestive disorder characterized by nausea, regurgitation, and heartburn. Gastroesophageal reflux is the primary cause of laryngeal symptoms, especially chronic posterior laryngitis. The best diagnostic test for this disease is esophageal impedance-pH monitoring; however, it is poorly employed owing to its high cost and invasiveness. Salivary pepsin measured using a lateral flow device (Pep-test) has been suggested as an indirect marker of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). The present study tested the reliability of Pep-test in diagnosing LPR in uninvestigated primary care attenders presenting with chronic laryngeal symptoms, and evaluated the raw pepsin concentration in patients with LPR. Methods: A multicenter, non-interventional pilot study was conducted on 86 suspected patients with LPR and 59 asymptomatic subjects as controls in three Italian primary care settings. A reflux symptom index questionnaire was used to differentiate patients with LPR (score >13) from controls (score <5). Two saliva samples were collected, and comparisons between the groups were performed using two-sided statistical tests, according to variable distributions. Results: There was no statistical difference in the salivary pepsin positivity between LPR patients and controls, whereas the pepsin intensity value was higher in controls than in LPR patients. Conclusion A high prevalence of pepsin positivity was observed in asymptomatic controls. Pepsin measurement should not be considered as a diagnostic test for LPR in primary care patients.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a complex disorder with heterogeneous symptoms and a multifaceted pathogenetic basis, which prevent a simple diagnostic algorithm or any categorical classification. Clinical history, questionnaires and response to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy are insufficient tools to make a conclusive diagnosis of GERD and further investigations are frequently required. The Lyon Consensus goes beyond the previous classifications and defines endoscopic and functional parameters able to establish the presence of GERD. Evidences for reflux include high-grade erosive esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus, and peptic strictures at endoscopy as well as esophageal acid exposure time > 6% on pH-metry or combined pH-impedance monitoring. Even if a normal endoscopy does not exclude GERD, its combination with distal acid exposure time < 4% on off-PPI pH-impedance monitoring provides sufficient evidence refuting this diagnosis. Reflux-symptom association on pH-monitoring provides supportive evidence for reflux-triggered symptoms and may predict a better treatment outcome, when present. Also recommendations to perform pH-impedance “on” or “off” PPI are well depicted. When endoscopy and pH-metry or combined pH-impedance monitoring are inconclusive, adjunctive evidence from biopsy findings (eg, microscopic esophagitis), high-resolution manometry (ie, ineffective esophagogastric barrier and esophageal body hypomotility), and novel impedance metrics, such as mean nocturnal baseline impedance and post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave index, can contribute to better identify patients with GERD. Definition of individual patient phenotype, based on the level of refluxate exposure, mechanism of reflux, efficacy of clearance, underlying anatomy of the esophagogastric junction, and clinical presentation, will lead to manage GERD patients with a tailored approach chosen among different types of therapy.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is a potentially curative method for treatment of highly symptomatic and drug-refractory atrial fibrillation (AF). However, this technique can provoke esophageal and nerve lesion, due to thermal injury. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of a newly described motor disorder, the Jackhammer esophagus (JE) after RFCA, independently of GERD. We report a case of JE diagnosed by high-resolution manometry (HRM), in whom esophageal symptoms developed 2 weeks after RFCA, in absence of objective evidence of GERD. A 65-year-old male with highly symptomatic, drug-refractory paroxysmal AF was candidate to complete electrical pulmonary vein isolation with RFCA. Prior the procedure, the patient underwent HRM and impedance-pH to rule out GERD or hiatal hernia presence. All HRM parameters, according to Chicago classification, were within normal limits. No significant gastroesophageal reflux was documented at impedance pH monitoring. Patient underwent RFCA with electrical disconnection of pulmonary vein. After two weeks, patient started to complain of dysphagia for solids, with acute chest-pain. The patient repeated HRM and impedance-pH monitoring 8 weeks after RFCA. HRM showed in all liquid swallows the typical spastic hypercontractile contractions consistent with the diagnosis of JE, whereas impedance-pH monitoring resulted again negative for GERD. Esophageal dysmotility can represent a possible complication of RFCA for AF, probably due to a vagal nerve injury, and dysphagia appearance after this procedure must be timely investigated by HRM.
Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Catheter Ablation* ; Classification ; Deglutition Disorders ; Diagnosis ; Electric Impedance ; Esophageal Motility Disorders ; Esophagus ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Hernia, Hiatal ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Male ; Manometry ; Muscle Spasticity ; Pulmonary Veins ; Swallows ; Vagus Nerve Stimulation*

No abstract available.
Heartburn*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The influence of external factors such as opioids and alcohol has been extensively investigated for various segments of the gastrointestinal tract. However, the association between their use and the development of esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction disorders (EGJOODs) is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze prevalence and clinical relevance of opioids and alcohol intake in patients with EGJOODs. METHODS: In this single-center, retrospective study, we reviewed clinical and pharmacological data of 375 consecutive patients who had undergone high resolution impedance manometry for EGJOODs. EGJOODs were classified according to the Chicago classification version 3.0 and to recently published normal values for test meals. Demographics, manometric data, and symptoms were compared between different groups using Pearson's chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, and multivariate analysis. A P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: EGJOOD was found in 30.7% (115/375) of all analyzed patients. The prevalence of opioids (14.8% vs 4.2%, P = 0.026) was significantly higher in patients with EGJOODs compared to patients without EGJOODs. Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption (12.2% vs 3.5%, P = 0.011) was associated with EGJOODs. Excessive alcohol consumption was especially frequent in the non-achalasia esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction subgroup (16.2%) and opioid use in the achalasia type III subgroup (20.0%). CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant association between EGJOODs and opioid as well as excessive alcohol consumption. This underlines the importance of detailed history taking regarding medication and ethanol consumption in patients with dysphagia. Further prospective studies on mechanisms undelaying esophagogastric junction dysfunction due to opioids or alcohol are warranted.
Alcohol Drinking ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Classification ; Deglutition Disorders ; Demography ; Electric Impedance ; Esophageal Achalasia ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Ethanol ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Manometry ; Meals ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Reference Values ; Retrospective Studies

Background/Aims: The role of esophageal high-resolution manometry (HRM) within Lyon consensus phenotypes, especially patients with inconclusive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) evidence, has not been fully investigated. In this multicenter, observational study we aim to compare HRM parameters in patients with GERD stratified according to the Lyon consensus. Methods: Clinical and endoscopic data, HRM and multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (MII-pH) studies performed off proton pump inhibitor therapy in patients with esophageal GERD symptoms were reviewed. Lyon consensus criteria identified pathological GERD, reflux hypersensitivity, functional heartburn, and inconclusive GERD. Patients, with inconclusive GERD were further subdivided into 2 groups based on total reflux numbers (≤ 80 or > 80 reflux episodes) during the MII-pH recording time. Results: A total of 264 patients formed the study cohort. Pathological GERD and inconclusive GERD patients were associated with higher numbers of reflux episodes, lower mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) values, and a higher proportion of patients with pathologic MNBI compared to functional heartburn (P < 0.05 for each comparison). On multivariate analysis, pathological GERD and inconclusive GERD patients, both with ≤ 80 or > 80 reflux episodes, were significantly associated with pathologic esophagogastric junction contractile integral values and with presence of hiatus hernia (type 2/3 esophagogastric junction). Patients with inconclusive GERD and > 80 reflux episodes were significantly associated with fragmented peristalsis and ineffective esophageal motility whilst inconclusive GERD with ≤ 80 reflux episodes were significantly associated with fragmented peristalsis. Conclusion Esophageal motor parameters on HRM are similar between pathologic and inconclusive GERD according to the Lyon consensus.