Diagnosis of esophageal motor disorders: a prospective study comparing barium swallow, food barium mixture, and continuous swallows with manometry.

Radiography and manometry of the esophagus were compared in 77 patients consecutively referred for manometric investigation on suspicion of esophageal motility disorder. Radiography and manometry were carried out simultaneously, and the results were assessed blindly. The examination comprised barium swallow, bread barium swallow, and barium swilling. Considering manometry as the standard, the overall sensitivity and specificity of the radiologic examinations were 90.4% and 92.0%, respectively. We conclude that radiology is an excellent investigation for the separation of patients with and without esophageal motility disorders, but correct subclassification often required manometry.