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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffEsophageal manometry (muh-NOM-uh-tree) is a test that gauges how well your esophagus works. Your esophagus is the long, muscular tube that connects your throat to your stomach. Esophageal manometry measures the rhythmic muscle contractions (peristalsis) that occur in your esophagus when you swallow. Esophageal manometry also measures the coordination and force exerted by the muscles of your esophagus.
During esophageal manometry, a thin, flexible tube (catheter) that contains sensors is passed through your nose, down your esophagus and into your stomach. Esophageal manometry can be helpful in diagnosing some mostly uncommon disorders that affect your esophagus.
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- American Gastroenterological Association. AGA technical review on the clinical use of esophageal manometry. Gastroenterology. 2005;128:209.
- Ask Mayo Expert. Esophageal manometry. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- Falk GW et al. Goldman: Goldman's Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Saunders, Elsevier, 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00140-8&isbn=978-1-4377-1604-7&sid=1300780111&uniqId=331154314-3#4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00140-8--s0050
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