Introduction:

High-resolution esophageal manometry is the ideal test for the diagnosis of achalasia and shows the presence of tertiary waves or aperistalsis and increased pressure, in the absence of relaxation, of the lower esophageal sphincter.

Objective:

To assess the usefulness of high-resolution esophageal manometry in the diagnosis and classification of esophageal achalasia.

Methods:

A descriptive, cross-sectional investigation was carried out at the National Center for Minimal Access Surgery, between October 2018 and December 2019, in 46 patients with a diagnosis of esophageal achalasia. Those with previous esophageal surgery were excluded. The variables included were: age, sex, time of evolution, symptoms and manometric findings. For the analysis of the results, the percentage and measures of central tendency (arithmetic mean and standard deviation) were used.

Results:

Type II achalasia predominated in females (57 %). Dysphagia was the most frequent symptom (84, 76, and 100 % in types I, II, and III, respectively). 70 % of the cases presented more than one year of evolution of the symptoms. Regarding the high-resolution manometry parameters, it was observed that regardless of the type, the mean integrated relaxation pressure was above 21 mmHg. No patients with type III achalasia subtypes were found.

Conclusions:

High-resolution esophageal manometry is useful for the diagnosis and classification of esophageal acalasia.

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