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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 16, 2014; 2(9): 448-454
Published online Sep 16, 2014. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v2.i9.448
Published online Sep 16, 2014. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v2.i9.448
Upper esophageal sphincter abnormalities are strongly predictive of treatment response in patients with achalasia
Simon C Mathews, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States
Maria Ciarleglio, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
Yamile Haito Chavez, John O Clarke, Ellen Stein, Bani Chander Roland, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States
Author contributions: Chander Roland B designed the study; Chander Roland B and Chavez YH enrolled patients, collected data, and performed chart review; Ciarleglio M performed the statistical analysis; Mathews S and Chander Roland B wrote the manuscript; Stein E, Clarke J, and Chander Roland B interpreted manometry; Stein E and Clarke J provided critical review of manuscript.
Correspondence to: Bani Chander Roland, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue A-501, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States. bchande1@jhmi.edu
Telephone: +1-410-5508124 Fax: +1-410-5507861
Received: January 5, 2014
Revised: March 29, 2014
Accepted: April 28, 2014
Published online: September 16, 2014
Revised: March 29, 2014
Accepted: April 28, 2014
Published online: September 16, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Our study highlights how the presence of Upper esophageal sphincter (UES) abnormalities in patients with achalasia significantly predicted poorer treatment response as compared to those with normal UES function, irrespective of the type of treatment received or achalasia sub-type. We believe this finding is novel and represents an opportunity to more fully characterize upper esophageal sphincter pathology in a clinical context.