title: Abdominal ultrasonography as a new modality for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Thickening and abnormal architecture of the esophageal wall in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been reported using endoscopic ultrasonography (US), but whether extracorporeal abdominal US is a useful diagnostic modality has not been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were 37 GERD, 24 non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients and 32 controls who visited our hospital from 2006-2009 and underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and extracorporeal abdominal US. The US operator was unaware of any clinical information and examined the following: (i) thickness (>or=5 mm) and (ii) architecture of the esophageal wall; and (iii) presence of reflux. GERD was diagnosed when two or more of these items were positive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thickening of the lower esophageal wall in erosive GERD, NERD and controls was 5.7 +/- 0.6, 4.4 +/- 0.8 and 4.7 +/- 0.9 mm, respectively. The thickness in erosive GERD was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than that in NERD patients and controls. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of abdominal US diagnosis for erosive GERD and NERD (vs control) was 84.6% (11/13), 25% (6/24), 91.1% (31/34) and 91.1% (31/34), 89.4% (42/47) and 63.8% (37/58), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extracorporeal abdominal US could be a new useful modality for diagnosing GERD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Yongmin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tadayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hiroto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miwa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography