title: [Changes in esophageal peristalsis in diverse clinical forms and antibody specificity in scleroderma: a scintigraphic study in 100 cases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define the prevalence and severity of esophageal involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and its relationship with the different clinical forms and ANA specificities of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hundred consecutive patients with SSc, 48 with cutaneous limited, 26 with intermediate and 26 with diffuse form of disease, 49 with anti-centromere and 37 with anti-Scl70 ANA pattern, were submitted to scintigraphy using a semisolid orally ingested bolus to detect esophageal hypomotility.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An impairment of esophageal function has been observed in 68% of SSc patients. Esophageal dysmotility was significantly more frequent and severe in patients with cutaneous diffuse and intermediate forms of SSc and with anti-Scl70 ANA pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Esophageal involvement is very common in SSc. The scintigraphy confirms to be a useful and non invasive diagnostic method; moreover it permits to quantify the severity of the esophageal dysmotility by analyzing both global and segmental function.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra e Divisione di Reumatologia, Università di Padua, Italy. franco.cozzi@unipd.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cozzi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zucchetta
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Durigon
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Marzola
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bullo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Favaro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bui
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Todesco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015154:Esophageal Motility Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear