Background: Nonspecific esophageal motility disorders (NEMDs) have been identified in up to 50% of adults with noncardiac chest pain or dysphagia. This study sought to determine the incidence of NEMDs in children with upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms and to evaluate the clinical course of pediatric patients with these manometric abnormalities.
Methods: The study involved 154 children aged 4 to 18 years (mean age, 11.6+/-2.6 years [SE]) who had upper gastrointestinal, swallowing-related symptoms. The children were evaluated by 24-hour intraesophageal pH monitoring, esophageal manometry, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Results: Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) was diagnosed by pH study in 109 (71%) of 154 patients, and examination of biopsy specimens demonstrated esophagitis in 70 children with GER. Results of esophageal manometry were abnormal in 30 (67%) of 45 children without GER. A variety of motility disorders were diagnosed in 17 of the patients without GER, whereas NEMDs were diagnosed in the remaining 13 children (mean age, 10.6+/-2.7 years; 10 boys, 3 girls). Patients with GER showed normal esophageal wave propagation; however, mean lower esophageal sphincter pressure was significantly lower in patients with GER than in children with NEMDs. The children with NEMDs exhibited a diverse array of symptoms, including esophageal food impaction in 4 of the 13 patients. During a 36.2+/-4.3-month follow-up period, no correlation was found between therapeutic intervention and clinical course in the 13 patients with NEMDs. Symptomatic improvement occurred in 6 of 13 patients, including 3 children for whom no pharmacologic therapy was prescribed.
Conclusions: These data indicate that NEMDs represent a common group of esophageal manometric abnormalities in children with upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms and without GER. Food impaction appears to be a relatively frequent complication, and NEMDs should be considered in children who have this finding.