Comparison of radially sensitive and circumferentially sensitive microtransducer esophageal manometry probes in normal subjects.

Circumferentially sensitive microtransducer probes are commercially available for use in esophageal manometry, and may offer an advantage over radially sensitive microtransducer probes in sphincters with radial asymmetry. In order to compare performance of the two probes, we performed esophageal manometry in 30 healthy adult volunteers with both probes. In only three of 52 manometric parameters measured were differences between mean values for the two probes statistically significant. Intrasubject variability was significantly (p = less than 0.005) less with the circumferentially sensitive probe (coefficient of variation 37% vs. 53%).