STUDIES ON ELECTRIC PRESSURE TRACING OF ESOPHAGUS AND CARDIAC PORTION OF THE STOMACH

Abstract

The physiology of motility of the esophago-cardiac junction, pathophysiological changes of this area due to various esophageal diseases and their clinical applications were studied by our new method of obtaining electric internal pressure curve and several interesting findings were obtained. These examinations were carried out on 91 clicnial cases (including several controls).(1) Order of food passage through the normal esophago-cardiac junction is usually controlled and carried out mainly by pressure of the esophagocardiac junction at rest, positive pressure of the esophagus, and negative and positive waves of the gastric cardia which arise simultaneously.(2) Failure in presence of this negative pressure at the gastric cardia, is noted in all 17 cases of achalasia patients. By various values of the internal pressure at rest, this disease could be divided into two groups; the flaccid type (type A) and accelerated type (type B).(3) As to the surgical indications, cardioplasty type of surgery for group A, and esophago-gastrostomy type for group B, are better suited and effective.(4) Very specific inconsistent internal pressure was obtained in 8 out of 9 clinical patients with carcinoma of the gastric cardia. These specific curves were divided into three groups; the serrated type, step ladder type and canopy type.We have concluded therefore that this method has a certain advantage in utilizing diagnostic measure for various esophageal diseases.