title: Patient localization of esophageal dysphagia.
abstract: The accuracy of patients' symptom localization in dysphagia is not clear. This study aims to determine the accuracy of patient localization and to determine the correlation of localization with motility disorders. We reviewed 100 patients after completion of EGD, manometry, and a dysphagia questionnaire. Proximal and midesophageal localization were rarely associated with a proximal cause of dysphagia. Distal localization correlated in 80% of cases. Fifty-seven percent of patients reporting diffuse symptoms had manometric abnormalities, but only 9% of patients with manometric abnormalities reported diffuse symptoms. In conclusion, patient localization in esophageal dysphagia is not accurate. The data suggest that proximal localization is especially inaccurate, whereas distal localization may be more accurate. Finally, there is no correlation between diffuse localization and diagnosis of motility disorders.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, H6/516, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53792, USA. be.roeder@hosp.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Brent E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Roeder
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Ross A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Dierkhising
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D015154:Esophageal Motility Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004945:Esophagoscopy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires