Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 02/17/2009
BOOKS
Castell, June A., and R. Matthew Gideon. "Esophageal Manometry," in Donald O. Castell and Joel E. Richter, eds., The Esophagus, 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, 1999.
Pagana, Kathleen D., and Timothy J....
Pagana. Diagnostic Testing and Nursing Implications, 5th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, 1999.
Smout, Andre. "Ambulatory Monitoring of Esophageal pH and Pressure." in Donald O. Castell and Joel E. Richter, eds., The Esophagus, 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, 1999.
PERIODICALS
Gardner, J.D., S. Rodriguez-Stanley, and M. Robinson. "Integrated Acidity and the Pathophysiology of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease."American Journal of Gastroenterology 96, no. 5 (May 2001): 1363-70.
Mujica, V.R., R. S. Mudipalli, and S. S. Rao. "Pathophysiology of Chest Pain in Patients with Nutcracker Esophagus."American Journal of Gastroenterology 96, no.5 (May 2001): 1371-7.
Pimentel, M., G. G. Bonorris, E. J. Chow, and H. C. Lin. "Peppermint Oil Improves the Manometric Findings in Diffuse Esophageal Spasm."Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology 33, no.1 (July 2001): 27-31.
Zarate, N., F. Mearin, A. Hidalgo, and J. R. Malagelada. "Prospective Evaluation of Esophageal Motor Dysfunction in Down's Syndrome."American Journal of Gastroenterology 96, no. 6 (June 2001): 1718-24.
ORGANIZATIONS
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). Thirteen Elm Street, Manchester, MA 01944-1314. (978) 526-8330.
Illinois Nurses Association—Advanced Practices Registered Nurses (APRNs) Statistics. 105 W. Adams, Suite 2101, Chicago, IL 60603.
Society for Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA). 401 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-4267. (800) 245-7462.
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Other Information
The esophagus is a long, muscular tube that also has two muscles (or sphincters) at the top and bottom. All of these muscular areas must contract in an exact sequence for swallowing to proceed normally. There are three main symptoms that occur when esophageal function is abnormal: difficulty with swallowing (dysphagia), heartburn, and chest pain.
Doctors perform a variety of tests to evaluate these symptoms. Endoscopy, which is not a test of esophageal function, is often used to determine if the lining of the esophagus has any ulcers, tumors, or areas of narrowing (strictures). Many times, however, endoscopy only shows the doctor if there is injury to the esophageal lining, and the procedure gives no information about the cause of the problem.
Therefore, in addition to endoscopy, several studies are available that measure esophageal function. There are three basic types of tests used to assess esophageal function:
Manometry is used to study the way the muscles of the esophagus contract, and is most useful for the investigation of difficulty with swallowing.
Esophageal pH monitoring measures changes in esophageal acidity, and is valuable for evaluating patients with heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
X-ray studies investigate swallowing difficulties. They either follow the progress of barium during swallowing using a fluoroscope, or they use radioactive scanning techniques.
From http://www.lifesteps.com/gm/Atoz/ency/esophageal_function_tests.jsp
Other Information
In 2000, children's risk of surgery increased from 17.9% in 1981 to 20.2% in 1998/99, while ENT surgery rates increased by 21% over the period.
From: NCBI
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