Evaluation of 100 esophageal motility studies at a university medical center

100 esophageal motility studies on 88 consecutive patients referred to the University of California Medical Center were analyzed. Diagnoses of achalasia, diffuse spasm of the esophagus, scleroderma, hiatal hernia and other conditions were made from the motility tracings. The motility tests have been found to be most helpful in differentiating various disorders of swallowing and thoracic pain of unknown cause.