[Angina-like chest pain of esophageal origin]

Chest pain of oesophageal origin closely resembles chest pain of coronary origin, and the distinction between these two sources of pain is crucial to give the patients a precise prognosis and to use the appropriate therapeutic approach. Once the coronary origin has formally been excluded, the oesophageal origin can be confirmed by several examinations of varying sensitivity and specificity. To date, prolonged oesophageal manometric and pH recordings give highly reliable results as they establish a cause-effect relationship between pain and the phenomena recorded. Besides, these methods have refined the therapeutic approach since they also inform on the mechanisms of oesophageal pain.