Esophageal function tests in clinical practice: a review.

Uday C Ghoshal1, Renu Singh, Asha Misra

  • 1Department of Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute Medical Sciences, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226014, India. udayghoshal@yahoo.co.in

Tropical Gastroenterology : Official Journal of the Digestive Diseases Foundation
|May 13, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Advancements in technology and software enhance esophageal function testing. Esophageal manometry and 24-hour pH/impedance monitoring are key tools for diagnosing motility disorders and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

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