ABSTRACT
An ambulatory motility study overcomes some of the shortcomings of stationary manometry, in particular the brevity of the test, which is performed in an unphysiologic environment. Only 10 swallows are analyzed in a stationary manometric study, whereas more than 1000 are computerized during an ambulatory motility test. Mathematically, the chances of detecting an abnormal contraction, which occurs 10% of the time, is only 0.65 if a stationary study is performed. The probability of detecting this same abnormality by ambulatory manometry is almost a certainty. The incorporation of pH analysis with ambulatory manometry data allows an assessment of esophageal clearance of refluxed acid as well as the ability to identify the effects of esophageal acidification or esophageal motility.
