Intraluminal Esophageal Rewarming in Normals and in Patients with Connective Tissue Disease

Intraluminal esophageal rewarming curves following a 5 ml bolus of 0.5 C water were studied in 15 normals and 10 patients with various connective tissue disorders (CTD). Intraluminal esophageal temperature was recorded by a thermistor located in the distal esophagus. A measurement (T ½)—the time required for a thermistor to record a temperature halfway between the minimum temperature reached after ice water ingestion and the baseline temperature— was determined for each swallow. Comparison of the T ½sfrom normal and patient groups showed a significant prolongation of the T ½recorded from the distal esophagus of the CTD group. The prolonged distal T ½ in CTD patients was related to an inability to clear their distal esophagus of ice water. Five of six CTD patients with manometrically documented involvement of the distal two-thirds of the esophagus had a prolonged distal T ½. These results suggest that intraluminal esophageal rewarming curves are an indicator of esophageal involvement in the connective tissue disorders.