[Esophageal involvement in progressive systemic sclerosis]

Systemic sclerosis is a collagen disease with high frequency of oesophageal affection, specially if we use manometry as an evaluation method that has a high rate of clinic complication in high rate of patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of the oesophageal affection through the clinical, radiological, endoscopical and manometrical studies and to compare the results with other authors. Between January 1978 and February 1993, we evaluated 101 patients with different clinical types of scleroderma 89 females and 12 males with ages between 16-83 (mean: 49, 19 years). In order to determine systemic sclerosis diagnosis following Masi Rodman criterion's we found from 101 cases 83 had dysphagia (82.2%) motor 66 (65%) organic 17 (34.7%) GER was seem in 41 cases (40.5%). According to Heitz's radiological classification: I: 26 patients (25%) II: 58 patients (52.4%) III: 19 patients (18.8%) IV: 17 patients (16.9%). In reference to Neschis manometric classification we found II 88 (76%) III 77 (76%) In accordance with endoscopical classification we found I: 16 (15.8%); II: 49 (48.5%); III: 19 (18.8%); IV: 17 (16.9%); Although this motor and organic oesophageal alterations have an evident diagnostic value, they have also been referred in another metabolic and collagen diseases but with lesser frequency than was found in the systemic sclerosis by us.