Effect of time interval between swallows on esophageal peristalsis

Esophageal peristaltic pressure amplitude, peristaltic incidence, speed of peristalsis, and wave duration were investigated as a function of swallow interval. In the distal half of the esophagus, the amplitude decreased at swallow intervals of 8 s and shorter. At intervals of 8 and 4 s, dropouts of contractions that were obtained were most frequent in the distal esophagus and for the 4-s interval. At continuous swallows no contractions were obtained below the upper esophageal sphincter until the end of the swallow sequence, after which a peristaltic wave of high amplitude propagated along the esophagus. The peristaltic speed increased toward a level 5 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter. The peristaltic wave duration was approximately the same in different parts of the esophagus and at different swallow intervals. The findings indicate an impairment of esophageal transport function by short swallow intervals.