Gastrointestinal transit and gastric acid secretion in patients with achalasia

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Abstract
Previous studies suggest that patients with achalasia exhibit degenerative changes of extraesophageal nerve fibers. We investigated whether these morphological alterations are associated with functional abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients with achalasia had a normal acid secretory response (5.5±1.5 mmol/hr) to vagal stimulation when compared to controls (6.0±5.5 mmol/hr). However, the half time of gastric emptying of liquids was significantly shorter in patients with achalasia (10.4±1.8 min) than in control subjects (19.3±11.3 min) (P.