Achalasia: Diagnostic Tests

Obligatory medical device diagnostics.

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (endoscopy of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum) with biopsies (tissue samples) if necessary
  • Routine diagnostics: is not so much used to detect achalasia as:
  • To exclude stenosis, strictures (high-grade narrowing), inflammation.
  • To exclude a carcinoma, e.g. gastric carcinoma (stomach cancer).
• X-ray-pre-swallow examination of the esophagus – particularly suitable in the advanced stage of the disease; to exclude suspected stenosing (narrowing) processes.
• Esophageal manometry/high-resolution manometry (HRM) – pressure measurement in the esophagus; for detection of motility disorders (mobility disorders) of the esophagus
  • Gold standard – accuracy > 90
• If necessary, endosonography (endoscopic ultrasound (EUS); ultrasound examination performed from the inside, i.e., the ultrasound probe by means of an endoscope (optical instrument)) and computed tomography (CT) – to exclude secondary achalasia (this form is based on another disease).