background: subjective assessment of primary achalasia is not accurate. we aimed to evaluate surface of barium retention in the objective assessment of these patients. materials and methods: subjective and objective esophageal functions of 99 patients with primary achalasia were evaluated initially and 43 of them were reevaluated one month after balloon dilation. results: predilation: â  9cases...

Timed barium esophagogram (TBE) is a simple and objective method for assessing the esophageal emptying. The technique of TBE is similar to usual barium swallow with some modifications, which include taking multiple sequential films at pre-decided time interval after a single swallow of a fixed volume of a specific density barium solution. While many authors have used height and width of the bar...

SUMMARY. The timed barium esophagogram (TBE) is a further development of the barium swallow, introducing functional and dynamic dimensions to the assessment. The purpose of our study was to assess the day to day variability of TBE parameters when scored in healthy subjects, in untreated and in previously treated patients with confirmed diagnoses of achalasia and to assess the intra- and interob...

Background and Aims. We initiated peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) utilizing a two-person technique with combination of an advanced endoscopist and a thoracic surgeon with complementary skills. Our aim was to determine the feasibility and outcomes in initial 20 patients. Methods. In this observational study, main outcomes measured were therapeutic success in relieving symptoms (Eckardt score <...

BACKGROUND Botulinum toxin (BT) injection reduces lower esophageal sphincter pressure and alleviates symptoms in idiopathic achalasia (IA). Ethanolamine oleate (EO) has also been introduced for the treatment of IA. We compared the long-term efficacy of BT and EO injections in the treatment of IA. METHODS A total of 189 IA patients were evaluated prospectively, of whom 21 were unwilling to und...

In idiopathic achalasia, degeneration of the inhibitory innervation of the esophageal smooth muscle results in absence of primary peristalsis and in incomplete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). All treatments for achalasia aim at reducing the pressure gradient across the LES, thus facilitating esophageal emptying by gravity. Objective evaluation of the response to treatment is...

Achalasia is a rare idiopathic, primary esophageal motility disorder. Pharmacologic, endoscopic and surgical methods are used in its treatment. The efficiency of the treatment is generally based on clinical "subjective" criteria. Manometry, which is the gold standard in diagnostic and in treatment monitoring is not always available, it is costly and it needs expertise. The role of timed barium ...