title: Ambulatory oesophageal pressure, pH and ECG recording in patients with normal and pathological coronary angiography and intermittent chest pain.
abstract: The present study was performed to compare pain-related oesophageal motility, gastro-oesophageal reflux and ST-segment deviations in patients with intermittent chest pain and normal or pathological coronary angiography. Thirty patients (11 males, 19 females; mean age 54.8 years) with normal and 15 patients (12 males, 3 females; mean age 66.7 years) with pathological coronary angiography were investigated by 24-h oesophageal pressure, pH and ECG recording. Chest pain correlated with motility abnormalities or gastro-oesophageal reflux occurred in 33% (10/30) of patients with normal coronary arteries and in 26% of patients with pathological coronary angiography. Symptomatic and asymptomatic ST-segment changes were less frequently observed in patients with normal angiography (4/30) than in patients with pathological coronary angiography (7/14; P = 0.02). Oesophageal dysfunction coincided with ST-segment deviation in 6.7% (2/30) of patients with normal and 40% (6/15) of patients with pathological coronary angiography (P = 0.02). The conclusions reached were: (1) pain-correlated abnormal motility or gastro-oesophageal reflux occurred in patients with normal and pathological coronary angiography at the same frequency; (2) ambulatory motility and pH recording alone does not appear to differentiate between cardiac and non-cardiac chest pain; (3) simultaneous ECG recording reveals a significant correlation of ST-segment deviation and gastro-oesophageal reflux or abnormal motility in patients with coronary artery stenosis.
authors.affiliation: Community and Academic Teaching Hospital, University of Cologne, Departments of Gastroenterology, Solingen, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lux
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Els
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: The
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Orth
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Behrenbeck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004947:Esophagus / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000503:physiopathology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure