MODERN TEHCNOLOGY: NEW EQUIPMENT HELPS WITH GERD AND DYSPHAGIA
Having trouble swallowing? Plagued by heartburn? Augusta Health can help get to the root of the problem with its modern diagnostic technology.
Since December, 2010, Augusta Health has been using the ManoScan 360™ to perform two tests that evaluate noncardiac chest pain and diagnose esophageal disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), says Missy Stokes, RN, who tests patients using the new system. With precise pressure measurements, the ManoScan 360 can measure how well the esophagus muscles can squeeze and if the muscles are squeezing in the correct sequence—a test called esophageal manometry.
The ManoScan 360 also can evaluate reflux and determine if the patient is experiencing the acidic or nonacidic variety through a procedure called a pH impedance test. This distinction is important because medications used to treat acid reflux don’t work on nonacid reflux, says Vanessa Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist with Augusta Health Gastroenterology. Like acid reflux, nonacid reflux is also uncomfortable and damages the esophagus. Because previous diagnostic tools weren’t as sensitive, nonacid reflux was more difficult to diagnose, making it harder to treat.
Many patients get both esophageal manometry and pH impedance testing with the ManoScan 360, Dr. Lee notes. In both tests, a very thin tube with 36 sensors is placed through the nose and down the esophagus.
During esophageal manometry, the patient is asked to swallow, and the tube measures the esophagus’ response. Full-color images and pressure measurements are then displayed on a computer screen. Esophageal manometry is performed as an outpatient procedure, and with a local anesthetic take about 45 minutes—with only about 15 minutes of that spent with the tube in the throat for the procedure. The only special preparation is not drinking or eating for several hours before the test, says Wendy Wyant, RN, of Augusta Health.
During pH impedance testing, the patient is sent home with the tube taped in the right place and attached to a recording device for 24 hours. While going through the day, the system evaluates every episode of reflux and measures its pH, says Vicki Taylor, RN, BSN, Director of Surgical Services at Augusta Health. The tube does not affect eating, drinking or breathing. After 24 hours, the patient returns to the physician’s office to have the tube removed. The doctor then reads the results and makes a diagnosis.