Trans-abdominal ultrasonography in diagnosis of achalasia

<正> Objective: To assess the clinical value of trans-abdominal ultrasonography for the diagnosis of achalasia. Methods: The subjects were divided into 3 groups, with 8 patients suffering from achalasia as the patient group, 10 normal individuals and 8 patients with cardiac carcinoma as controls. Real-time trans-abdominal ultrasonography (TAUS) was employed to investigate the lower esophagus and cardia of all subjects through water provocative test, and the sonographic findings were compared. After treated by administration of drugs, pneumatic balloon dilation or intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin, the 8 patients with achalasia were re-examined by TAUS for longitudinal comparison. Results: (1) The normal subjects had no dilation of cardia and lower esophagus before drinking water, but their cardias opened rapidly in accordance with the drinking action to allow water enter the stomach. (2) All the patients with achalasia were found to have dilation of lower esophagus before taking water. During a 1