The value of 24-hour combined esophageal pressure and pH recording in the detection of esophageal function abnormalities.

Gastroesophageal reflux and esophageal motor abnormalities are suspected of being the source of chest pain when a cardiac origin of the pain has been excluded. Because of the usually intermittent character of the motility disturbances, short conventional manometry, with or without provocation tests, often fails to establish the diagnosis. Therefore, 24-h esophageal pressure and pH recording was developed and has been proposed as a diagnostic tool in the study of patients who suffer from intermittent substernal pain. In this paper the value of 24-h combined esophageal pressure and pH recording in detecting disordered esophageal function in noncardiac chest pain and other esophageal disorders is discussed.