Therapeutic applications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) have increased dramatically, and endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) is the cornerstone of these techniques. Indications include treatment of retained biliary duct stones, papillary stenosis, benign and malignant strictures, and acute cholangitis and pancreatitis. We reviewed our recent experience to assess the spectrum of procedures done and their results. Medical records and radiographic examinations in 60 consecutive patients undergoing therapeutic ERCP were studied. Patients were placed into one of three treatment groups; Group 1, ES alone (N = 21); Group 2, ES plus stone retrieval (N = 15); and Group 3, ES plus stent placement (N = 24). In Group 1, all of eight patients with ductal stones had spontaneous passage. In 11 patients with papillary stenosis, nine had relief of symptoms following ES. Two patients with pancreatitis improved after ES. In Group 2, all 15 patients with ductal stones had successful retrieval. In Group 3, patients were treated for biliary stricture alone (4), retained stones (7), pancreatitis (5), neoplasms (6) and papillary stenosis (2). In these 24 patient, 21 (88%) were treated successfully or had palliation of their symptoms. In our series, a wide variety of therapeutic applications of ERCP was used to manage simple and complex biliary disease. ES alone or in combination with other techniques was done in all patients. Overall, 55 (92%) of 60 interventional procedures were successful as defined by removal of stones and relief or palliation of symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to correlate gastroesophageal reflux evaluated by 24-h pH study to esophageal motility, diameter of the esophagus and diaphragmatic hiatus, and patient age. We recorded radiographic findings from barium esophagrams in 91 patients (47 women, 44 men) with a mean age of 52 years (range 17-18 years), who had 24-h pH monitoring of the esophagus. All patients had one or more symptoms related to the upper aerodigestive system, and both studies were performed within 2 days of each other. The average diameters of the esophagus and hiatus were 24 mm and 19 mm respectively. The correlation coefficient (r) between patient age and diameter of the esophagus was -0.22. No correlation was found between the diameter of the hiatus and the size of the esophagus or patient age. Esophageal diameter is significantly wider in patients with esophagitis than in patients who have no esophagitis. Thirteen of 27 patients with absent primary peristalsis had abnormal pH results. The diameter of the esophagus may be affected by aging, but was not affected by the presence of dysmotility. The caliber of the hiatus was stable and was narrower than the diameter of the esophagus. The hiatus tended to be wider when esophagitis existed.

Risk of aspiration is often an indication for performance of a MBS.Multiple examining materials of variable viscosity are used and "silent" aspiration that does not elicit a cough reflex may be observed.Dietary recommendations are based on these findings to permit "safe" swallowing in patients at risk for aspiration, We evaluated a total of 109 patients (46W; 63 M; mean age, 67 yrs) who showed aspiration on MBS to determine which materials were most often responsible, the prevalence and nature of aspiration, and the clinical implications of these observations.The materials used were low and high viscosity barium suspensions, barium paste and a paste-coated cookie.Aspiration with liquid barium only was seen in 95 (87%) of the 109 patients; liquid and paste aspiration were both present in 7 (6%) patients, and 7 others had a mixture of aspiration events.Only 2 patients each had only paste or solid aspiration.Aspiration induced a cough in 80 (73%) patients but was "silent" in 29 (27%).Conclusions: 1) Liquids are the main concern for patients at risk of aspiration; 2) "Silent" aspiration of liquids is not uncommon; 3) MBS is an important examination in determining the • aspiration risks and in identifying "silent" aspirators; and 4) Patients on liquid diets who have not had a swallowing evaluation and may be "silent" aspirators are at greatest danger for aspiration-related complications.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of lower esophageal mucosal rings and to correlate the relationship between these mucosal rings and the presence and anatomic level of symptoms evoked using a marshmallow bolus. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Our prospective study included 130 patients who underwent barium examination of the esophagus. All patients completed a questionnaire regarding the anatomic location of their symptoms of dysphagia. In addition to a multiphasic examination of the esophagus, all patients also underwent fluoroscopic observation and videotaping while swallowing a marshmallow bolus; any symptoms that were provoked were recorded. RESULTS Lower esophageal mucosal rings were shown in 26 (20%) of the 130 patients. The diameter of the rings was 9-12 mm in six patients, 13-20 mm in 18 patients, and larger than 20 mm in two patients. In 16 (62%) of the 26 patients, a marshmallow bolus became impacted at the ring; the impaction caused dysphagia in 12 (75%) of the 16 patients. In these 12 patients, dysphagia was referred to the neck in seven, the sternal angle in two, the mid chest in two, and the lower chest in one patient. None of the 12 patients had a pharyngeal or cervical esophageal abnormality that would account for their symptoms. CONCLUSION Because proximal referral of symptoms is common in patients with lower esophageal mucosal rings, a thorough radiographic examination of the entire esophagus and esophagogastric region is required regardless of the level of their swallowing complaints.

The cause of laryngeal and pharyngeal carcinomas is likely multifactorial. Smoking is an important factor, but mucosal damage from gastroesophageal reflux may also contribute. The purpose of this study was to determine whether gastroesophageal reflux is more common in patients with laryngeal or pharyngeal carcinomas than in those without these malignancies, Over an 8-year period, we correlated the results of clinical and radiographic examinations of the pharynx and esophagus to pH monitoring results in 798 patients with a variety of upper aerodigestive tract symptoms and who underwent both pH monitoring and barium esophagography, In this group, 63 patients (52 men, 11 women) had laryngeal or pharyngeal carcinomas, and 735 patients (319 men, 416 women) had neither malignancy. Abnormal pH findings were defined as a total percentage of esophageal acid exposure time of 6% or more as determined with the esophageal probe, or any reflux event detected with the pharyngeal probe, Thirty-four of 63 patients with carcinomas (54%) had abnormal pH-monitoring results: Esophageal acid exposure was abnormal in 10 patients, pharyngeal acid exposure was abnormal in 7 patients, and acid exposure was abnormal in both areas in 17 patients. Of the 735 patients without malignancies, 365 (50%) had abnormal pH-monitoring results (p > 0.05). In this population of patients, abnormal results of pH monitoring were common, occurring in 399 (50%) of 798 patients, but no significant difference was found between results in those with and without laryngeal or pharyngeal carcinomas, Therefore, our study found that gastroesophageal reflux as shown by pH monitoring was not more common in patients with these malignancies.

Purpose: Our goal was to analyze those factors contributing to the error rate in the interpretation of abdominal CT scans at an academic medical center.Method: From a total of 694 consecutive patients (329 male, 365 female), we evaluated the error rates of interpreting abdominal CT studies. The average patient age was 54 years. All abdominal CT studies were reviewed by three to five CT faculty radiologists on the morning after the studies were performed. The error rate was correlated with reader variability, the number of cases read per day, the presence of a resident, inpatient versus outpatient, organ systems, etc. The chi(2)-test was used for statistical analysis.Results: A total of 56 errors were found in the reports of 53 patients (overall error rate = 7.6%). Of these errors, 19 were judged to be clinically significant and 7 affected patient management. A statistically significant difference in error rates was noted among the five faculty radiologists (3.6-16.1%, p = 0.00062). No significant correlates between error rates and any of the other variables could be established.Conclusion: The primary determinant of error rates in body CT is the skill of the interpreting radiologist.

OBJECTIVES:Study relationship of gastroesophageal reflux disease to findings on radiographic examination of the esophagus. METHODS:We correlated heartburn (HB) in 360 patients (174 women; 186 men; mean age, 53 yr) to results of pH monitoring (pHM) and radiographic examination of the esophagus. Radiographic findings were categorized as normal (n = 129), hiatal hernia (HH) only (n = 173), reflux esophagitis (n = 50), or peptic stricture (n = 8) (ES; 58). Abnormal pHM was defined as total percentage of esophageal acid exposure time (pH < 4) of 6% or greater. RESULTS:pHM was abnormal in 41 (31%) of 132 patients with HB versus 54 (24%) of 228 without the symptom (p > 0.05). Radiographic correlation showed abnormal pHM in only 21 (16%) of 129 patients with a normal esophagus, 52 (30%) of 173 with HH, and 22 (38%) of 58 with ES, which was significantly lower for those with a normal esophagus. In 132 patients with HB, those with normal esophagus had lower abnormal pHM (2 of 38; 5%) compared with patients with HH (24 of 64; 38%) or with ES (15 of 30; 50%) (p < 0.05). In the 228 patients without HB, abnormal pHM was found in 19 (21%) of 91 with a normal esophagus, 28 (26%) of 109 with HH, and 7 (25%) of 28 with ES (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:(1) pHM findings did not correlate with presence or absence of HB; (2) pHM is usually normal in patients with normal esophagus on RE; (3) pHM is also usually normal in patients with HB and normal esophagus on RE; and (4) pHM is often normal in patients with radiographic findings of reflux esophagitis or peptic stricture.

OBJECTIVE:The prevalence and severity of functional abnormalities of the esophagus seen on fluoroscopic examination were compared with the age and symptoms of the patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:The esophagus was examined radiographically in 139 consecutive outpatients 19-84 years old. All patients completed a data sheet about their symptoms, and medical records were reviewed to determine the main indication for the examination. Videofluoroscopy was used to evaluate primary peristalsis, proximal escape, and tertiary activity in the esophagus. The severity of proximal escape and activity was classified. RESULTS:Patients were categorized into three age groups: 39 years old or younger (n = 33); from 40 to 60 years old (n = 55); and 61 years old or older (n = 51). Abnormal esophageal motility, defined as disruption of peristalsis on two or more of five swallows, was found in 24% of patients 39 years old or younger, 36% of patients from 40 to 60 years old, and in 49% of patients 61 years old or older (p > .05). However, evaluation of the number of disrupted peristaltic swallows by age revealed 18% abnormal swallows in patients 39 years old or older, 27% in patients from 40 to 60 years old, and 37% in patients 61 years old or older (p < .01). Proximal escape and tertiary contractions increased significantly with the age of the patient. Regardless of age, proximal escape was seen in 79% of swallows and tertiary contractions were seen in 48% of swallows with disrupted peristalsis. The prevalence and severity of proximal escape and tertiary contractions increased in the older patients. Symptoms had no correlation with status of esophageal motility (p > .05). In 22 patients with secondary diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus, those diseases showed no correlation with the status of esophageal motility. CONCLUSION:The prevalence of functional abnormalities of the esophagus increased with age. Most patients with abnormal swallows showed proximal escape with or without tertiary activity. Patients' symptoms and other diseases did not correlate with the status of their esophageal motility.