High Resolution Manometric Findings in Patients with Chagas' Disease Esophagopathy

Objective: To describe high resolution manometry features of a population of symptomatic patients with Chagas' disease esophagopathy (CDE).

Methods: Sixteen symptomatic dysphagic patients with CDE [mean age (54.81±13.43) years, 10 women] were included in this study. All patients underwent a high resolution manometry.

Results: Mean lower esophageal sphincter (LES) extension was (3.02±1.17) cm with a mean basal pressure of (15.25±7.00) mmHg. Residual pressure was (14.31±9.19) mmHg. Aperistalsis was found in all 16 patients. Achalasia with minimal esophageal pressurization (type 1) was present in 25% of patients and achalasia with esophageal compression (type 2) in 75%, according to the Chicago Classification. Upper esophageal sphincter (UES) mean basal pressure was (97.96±54.22) mmHg with a residual pressure of (12.95±6.42) mmHg.

Conclusions: Our results show that LES was hypotensive or normotensive in the majority of the patients. Impaired relaxation was found in a minority of our patients. Aperistalsis was seen in 100% of patients. UES had impaired relaxation in a significant number of patients. Further clinical study is needed to investigate whether manometric features can predict outcomes following the studies of idiopathic achalasia.