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Esophageal motility disorders (EMD) is characterized by impaired coordinated esophageal motility function with symptoms including dysphasia, heartburn or noncardiac chest pain. Since EMDs is functional disorders, it is usually difficult to make a diagnosis by conventional examinations including endoscopy and esophagography. Recently developed high-resolution manometry allows us to evaluate esophageal motility function precisely and to make a differential diagnosis of EMDs, together with Chicago Classification (CC) version 3.0 (CC ver3.0). In this article, we reviewed diagnosis of EMDs based on CC ver3.0 and current treatment strategy for EMDs.

Only about 50% of patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) respond to standard doses of proton pump inhibitors (PPI). Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain PPI failure. Visceral hypersensitivity plays a basic role in the pathogenesis of NERD. Causes of persistent symptoms have been determined in 60% of patients with PPI-resistant NERD, including non-acid reflux (35-40%), acid reflux (10-15%), esophageal motility disorders (10%) and eosinophilic esophagitis (2%). Treatment based on these causes has been shown to improve patient symptoms. The causes of symptoms in the remaining 40% of patients, however, remain unknown, and these patients are often diagnosed with functional heartburn. Studies are needed to clarify the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying functional heartburn in these patients.

Reflux esophagitis (RE) is characterized by excessive esophageal acid exposure. The number of acid reflux episodes, the way acid comes up after reflux and the delay of acid bolus clearance cause excessive esophageal acid exposure. Transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation(TLESR) is the major mechanism of acid reflux in both healthy subjects (HS) and in patients with acid reflux disease, but there is no difference in the rate of TLESRs or in the rate of acid reflux during TLESRs above the LES between HS and patients with severe RE. In patients with severe RE, refluxed acid above the LES rises more easily to the proximal esophagus but it does not clear easily from the esophagus when compared with HS. The pathophysiology of non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) is poorly understood, however with regard to esophageal motility in patients with NERD, the LES pressure, the pressure wave amplitude and the rates of successful primary peristalsis were similar to that of HS but the triggering of secondary peristalsis was defective. This may lead to prolonged contact time between refluxed gastric acid and esophageal mucosa thereby leading to symptoms.

Recent studies suggest that gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may be a cause of globus sensation. However, it is difficult to examine the reflux of acidic gastric contents directly. We hypothesized that the esophageal clearance capacity against reflux acid may be responsible for the clinical symptoms of GERD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the bolus residue and reflux in the esophagus during swallowing in elderly patients and to discuss the relationship between globus sensation and esophageal clearance abnormalities. Videopharyngoesophageal examinations in the prone position were performed in 156 elderly patients with globus sensation (average age: 74.7 years old). Esophageal clearance in the prone position was classified into 4 subgroups according to the movement of a contrast bolus: Group 1, normal; group 2, retension in esophagus; group 3, reflux of contrast bolus within esophagus; group 4, reflux of contrast bolus into pharyngo-laryngeal regions. Group 1 contained 36 cases (23.1%), group 2 contained 8 cases (5.1%), group 3 contained 79 cases (50.6%), and group 4 contained 33 cases (21.2%). Overall, the reflux of a contrast bolus in the esophagus was observed in 112 cases (71.8%). We concluded that decreased esophageal clearance in elderly subjects affects the defense mechanism against acid exposure and may be a risk factor for the appearance of globus sensation. Videopharyngoesophageal examination in the prone position may be an easy and valuable method for evaluating the function of esophageal clearance.

Background: Esophageal involvement by systemic sclerosis (SSc) is frequent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate esophageal motility disorders quantitatively., Methods: We investigate esophageal scintigraphy in 22 patients with SSc. Esophageal scintigraphy was obtained with swallowing physiological saline in supine position, and swallowing soup in supine and sitting positions. Data was acquired with 0.5 sec per frame for 192 frames in the anterior view. We employed a condensed image as a visual evaluation, half-life and retention rate as a quantitative evaluation, which were obtained from time-activity curves generated from regions of interest on the whole esophagus. The half-life and retention rate were compared with classification of Barnett, stages of SSc, and modified Rodnan total skin score (TSS)., Results: No significant differences were seen in classification of Barnett and the stages of SSc. No significant difference was seen between swallowing water and soup in the supine position. The retention rate was significantly prolonged in the supine position than in the sitting position. The retention rate of soup study in the sitting position correlated with TSS (r = 0.61)., Conclusion: Esophageal scintigraphy in the sitting position is useful in evaluation of esophageal motility in SSc.

Esophageal motor disorders can be primarily focused in the esophagus or secondarily related to a systemic disease. Based on the manometric findings, primary esophageal motor disorders can also be classified into achalasia and spastic disorders, such as diffuse esophageal spasm, nutcracker esophagus, hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter, and nonspecific esophageal motility disorders.

Progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) commonly involves the esophagus. Dysphagia and heartburn are the most common esophageal symptoms. In this study we evaluated the relationship between esophageal symptoms and esophago-gastric motility. On esophageal manometry, loss of peristalsis, peristaltic contraction amplitude of distal esophagus less than 30 mmHg and decreased LES pressure were critical for esophageal symptoms. The degree of symptoms correlated to esophageal dysmotility. The gastric emptying in PSS patients was delayed, but there was no significant difference in gastric emptying between the patients with and without reflux esophagitis. Esophageal dysmotility is considered to be much responsible for the reflux esophagitis in PSS patients than gastric emptying.