Radionuclide esophageal transit test to detect esophageal disorders in patients with mitral valve prolapse.
OBJECTIVE
The origin of chest discomfort in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is controversial. Our aim was to prospectively determine the incidence of esophageal disorders in MVP patients with or without chest pain.


METHODS
Twenty-five MVP patients with chest pain (group A) and 25 MVP patients without chest pain (group B) underwent evaluation of esophageal motility. None of the total of 50 MVP patients had significant coronary artery disease on cardiac catheterization. Esophageal motility including esophageal mean transit time (MTT), residual fraction (RF), and retrograde index (RI) was analyzed by the radionuclide esophageal transit test (RETT).


RESULTS
In comparison with 25 age and sex-matched healthy volunteers, the results showed that: (1) 19 patients in group A (76%) had abnormal RETT findings (48% of cases with prolonged MTT, 44% of cases with higher RF, and 60% of cases with higher RI); (2) 3 patients in group B (12%) had abnormal RETT findings (8% of cases with prolonged MTT, 4% of cases with higher RF, and 8% of cases with higher RI). In addition, mean values of MTT, RF, and RI in group A patients were significantly higher than in group B patients and healthy volunteers.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that the chest pain in some MVP patients may be related to abnormal esophageal motility, based on the evidence from a simple and noninvasive RETT.
Kao
C H
CH
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. kao@vghtc.vghtc.gov.tw
Tsai
S C
SC
Hsieh
J F
JF
Ho
Y J
YJ
Ding
H J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002637:Chest Pain; D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010833:Phytic Acid; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C026177:technetium phytate; D010833:Phytic Acid