title: [Lower esophageal sphincter pressure in patients with achalasia. Is high blood pressure frequent in these patients?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe variability of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure in patients with diagnosis of achalasia based in esophageal manometry.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 29 patients with diagnosis of achalasia confirmed by water perfusion manometry performed between July 2000 and June 2002 at the Digestive and Liver Disease Center in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Three were excluded due to impossibility of evaluating LES.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Esophageal aperistalsis was found in all patients. LES pressure was normal in 73%, low (hypotension) in 8%, and high (hypertension) in only 19% of patients. Relaxation of LES showed different responses ranging from absence to complete relaxation after degluttion. There was absence of relaxation after degluttion in all patients with LES hypertension and hypotension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypertension of LES in our cohort of patients with achalasia was seen only in 19%. Knowledgement of manometric variability is fundamental to avoid errors in achalasia diagnosis and further patient treatment.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Gastroenterología del Hospital del Carmen y del Centro de Enfermedades Digestivas y Hepáticas, S. C., Guadalajara, Jal.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malé Velásquez
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Cipatly
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ayuso
authors.forename: María Guadalupe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Zavala
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Langle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D004931:Esophageal Achalasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004943:Esophagogastric Junction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000502:physiology