[Scintigraphy in cancer of the esophagus]

Esophagoscintigraphy with labeled liquid and solid food was performed in 34 patients without subjective complaints and signs of disease of the esophagus in the patient history permitting the determination of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of normal motor-evacuatory function of the esophagus and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) under the most physiological conditions using mixtures of labeled natural food ingredients as compared to routine methods. In esophageal transit time (ETT) over 5 sec., a clearance value below 87.2% and passage rate below 21.6% for liquids, and ETT over 9 sec., a clearance value of 86.6% and passage rate less than 11.39% respectively for solid food disorders of esophageal and/or LES motor function were noted. Normal oropharyngeal time was 1.5-2 sec. A total of 46 patients with esophageal cancer and stomach cancer with the involvement of the esophagus before treatment were examined. In cancer of the esophagus its function depended on a tumor site and stage. In order to raise diagnostic sensitivity dynamic esophagoscintigraphy should be performed using liquid and solid food because during liquid passage a study with a hard bolus of patients with severe esophageal dysfunction showed that in 36.9% of the patients the quantitative and qualitative indices were within normal. Radionuclide methods permit the determination of the level of a pathological focus, a degree of esophageal permeability, quantitative characterization of a degree of disorder of esophageal function in order to raise the functional diagnosis of the esophagus and LES, and the determination of motor disorders at the earliest stages of tumor development.