Esophageal ultrasonography: A new view on esophageal motility

Esophageal manometry has long been the gold standard for assessment of esophageal motility. Recently, high-frequency intraluminal ultrasonography (HFIUS) has been introduced to measure esophageal contractility and the thickness of esophageal muscle. Greater esophageal muscle thickness has been reported in patients with achalasia, diffuse spasm, and hypertensive peristalsis. In this issue of the Journal, Mittal and colleagues report additional observations in patients with esophageal symptoms referred for esophageal manometry. Their findings confirm earlier observations in patients with spastic motor disorders and report new findings of greater muscle thickness in patients with nonspecific motor disorders as well as normal manometry. Greater muscle thickness was associated with a greater prevalence of dysphagia suggesting the possibility that symptoms may be related, at least in part, to alterations in the biomechanics of the esophagus. The place of HFIUS in the assessment of esophageal function remains to be determined, but it offers the possibility of greater insights into esophageal physiology as well as clinical esophageal motor disorders.