title: Comparison of lower oesophageal sphincter pressure measurement using circumferential vs unidirectional transducers.
abstract: Average values from unidirectional (UND) transducers have traditionally been used in standard manometric evaluation of lower oesophageal sphincter pressures (LOSPs). A single circumferential (CMF) transducer has recently become popular. Our aim was to compare LOSP measurements made using the two techniques. Ten healthy volunteers were intubated with a Konigsberg manometry catheter containing five solid-state transducers (four unidirectional at 90 degrees angles radially and 2.5-cm intervals and one circumferential, 3 cm distal). LOSP was measured using the station pull-through technique in the supine and upright positions with Synectics Polygram software for computerized analysis. Mean UND pressures were plotted against CMF pressures and a linear regression and correlation analysis was performed. A similar analysis was done for LOS length. A significant difference (P < 0.01) was found between mean (+/- SE) supine and upright LOSPs for both mean UND (20.21 +/- 1.36 vs 15.56 +/- 1.28 mmHg) and CMF (20.41 +/- 1.96 vs 16.17 +/- 1.61 mmHg); however no difference was shown between supine and upright lengths. There was a high degree of correlation between LOSP (r = 0.83) and a weaker correlation (r = 0.65) between LOS lengths when measured by CMF and UND transducers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  UND and CMF transducers provide identical measurements when evaluating the LOS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Graduate Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Pursnani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oeffner
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gideon
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Castell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002138:Calibration; D004943:Esophagogastric Junction / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry / Q000295:instrumentation; D008875:Middle Aged; D016683:Supine Position / Q000502:physiology; D014159:Transducers