Dynamic esophageal scintigraphy in patients with achalasia.

BACKGROUND Dynamic esophageal scintigraphy has been proven as an efficient technique of diagnosis of esophageal dysmotility. METHODS The authors monitored the transit velocity, anti-peristalsis and the retention of radioactivity in the esophagus by dynamic esophageal scintigraphy in a group of 50 patients (37 control patients and 13 patients with achalasia). RESULTS They found a significantly longer period of radioactivity passage via the esophagus compared to the control group (p < 0.001%). CONCLUSIONS We observed the statistically significant transit prolongation of radioactivity through the esophagus during dynamic esophageal scintigraphy (41.2 seconds) in our group of patients with achalasia compared to the control group (7.9 seconds). Anti-peristalsis and even the radioactivity retention have occurred statistically more frequently compared to the control group.