Dysphagia in Children with Esophageal Atresia: Current Diagnostic Options

Maissa Rayyan, Karel Allegaert, Taher Omari, Nathalie Rommel*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Dysphagia or swallowing disorder is very common (range, 15-52%) in patients with esophageal atresia. Children present with a wide range of symptoms. The most common diagnostic tools to evaluate esophageal dysphagia, such as upper barium study and manometry, aim to characterize anatomy and function of the esophageal body and the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). Using these technologies, a variety of pathological motor patterns have been identified in children with esophageal atresia. However, the most challenging part of diagnosing patients with esophageal dysphagia lies in the fact that these methods fail to link functional symptoms such as dysphagia with the esophageal motor disorders observed. A recent method, called pressure-flow analysis (PFA), uses simultaneously acquired impedance and manometry measurements, and applies an integrated analysis of these recordings to derive quantitative pressure-flow metrics. These pressure-flow metrics allow detection of the interplay between bolus flow, motor patterns, and symptomatology by combining data on bolus transit and bolus flow resistance. Based on a dichotomous categorization, flow resistance at the EGJ and ineffective esophageal bolus transit can be determined. This method has the potential to guide therapeutic decisions for esophageal dysmotility in pediatric patients with esophageal atresia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)326-332
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean Journal of Pediatric Surgery
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Aug 2015
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Georg Thieme Verlag KGStuttgart New York.

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