Age-related impairment of esophagogastric junction relaxation and bolus flow time

Figure 7 Bolus flow time vs bolus presence time in older subjects with (filled diamonds) and without (open diamonds) bolus clearance and controls (filled circles) during liquid (7A) and viscous (7B) swallows. All older subjects with failed bolus clearance had a reduced BFT (5^th percentile control BFT and BPT shown in red). BFT/BPT matrix can be used to differentiate individuals with failed clearance into those with equivalent reduced BPT (a), indicative of ineffective esophageal motility, and those with increased BPT (b), indicative of bolus retention above the esophagogastric junction due to increased flow resistance. BFT: Bolus flow time; BPT: Bolus presence time.