Abdominal ultrasonography as a new modality for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
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.
Tomita
Toshihiko
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
Iijima
Hiroko
H
Kim
Yongmin
Y
Oshima
Tadayuki
T
Hori
Kazutoshi
K
Nishiguchi
Shuhei
S
Matsumoto
Takayuki
T
Miwa
Hiroto
H
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