title: Buspirone, a new drug for the management of patients with ineffective esophageal motility?
abstract: Ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) is the most frequently encountered esophageal motility disorder. Patients may present with a variety of symptoms, such as dysphagia, heartburn, odynophagia, and regurgitation. Over the past years, the landscape of esophageal motility testing has been revolutionized; however, our current treatment options for IEM still remain limited. Previous studies have suggested that buspirone, a serotonin receptor agonist, enhances esophageal peristalsis and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) function. Recent work provides the first evidence that buspirone may influence LES resting pressure in patients with systemic sclerosis. Future research should evaluate whether the beneficial effects of buspirone also apply to the broad clinical entity of esophageal dysphagia patients with IEM.
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven -- University of Leuven, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID), Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Leuven, Belgium ; KU Leuven -- University of Leuven, Research Group Experimental Otorhinolaryngology (ExpORL), Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheerens
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven -- University of Leuven, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID), Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Leuven, Belgium ; UZ Leuven -- University Hospitals Leuven, Neurogastroenterology and Motility Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tack
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven -- University of Leuven, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID), Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Leuven, Belgium ; KU Leuven -- University of Leuven, Research Group Experimental Otorhinolaryngology (ExpORL), Department of Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium ; UZ Leuven -- University Hospitals Leuven, Neurogastroenterology and Motility Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rommel
keywords: 5-HT1A; Buspirone; esophageal high-resolution manometry; esophagus; ineffective esophageal motility; systemic sclerosis