Solid-bolus passage in patients with pathological oesophageal acid clearing.

To evaluate the mean transit time of a solid bolus in 17 patients with prolonged acid clearing, a scintigraphic non-invasive technique was used. Sticking of the bolus in the middle third of the oesophagus was a common feature in these patients as compared with normals. Thus, the deteriorated transport pattern of a solid bolus in patients with prolonged acid clearing is not acidification-dependent. The catheter-intubated oesophagus showed a significantly (p less than 0.01) lower tendency for sticking as compared with prior intubation, whereas acidification of the oesophagus increased the sticking tendency significantly (p less than 0.01) as compared with the intubated oesophagus without acid. The evaluation of mean transit times was of no value because of the frequency of sticking. The fact that intubation improves the passage must be kept in mind when studies of solid bolus are performed in intubated patients.