Proposed approach to the challenging management of progressive gastroesophageal reflux disease

Table 1 Hallmarks of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with and without cardiac mucosa on biopsies of the gastroesophageal junction

	Findings on multiple biopsies of the GEJ
	No cardiac epithelium (n = 88)	Cardiac epithelium (n = 246)	P
% time pH < 4	1.1 ± 4.6	6.0 ± 7.4	< 0.01
% hiatal hernia	25	55.1	< 0.01
LES pressure (mmHg)	13.2 ± 12.8	8.0 ± 8.0	< 0.01
LES abdominal length (mm)	1.6 ± 1.1	1.0 ± 1.2	< 0.01
LES overall length (mm)	3.0 ± 1.2	2.2 ± 1.6	< 0.01
% defective LES	27.2	62.3	< 0.01
% esophagitis	11.2	33.2	< 0.01

Values are medians ± interquartile range unless otherwise stated. Data are from Oberg et al[27]. GEJ: Gastroesophageal junction; LES: Lower esophageal sphincter.

Table 2 Hallmarks of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with and without carditis on biopsies of the gastroesophageal junction

	Findings on multiple biopsies of the GEJ
	No carditis (n = 9)	Carditis (n = 237)	P
% time pH < 4	3.1 ± 4.5	6.1 ± 7.2	0.14
LES pressure (mmHg)	10.6 ± 12.4	7.8 ± 8.2	0.03
LES abdominal length (mm)	1.4 ± 0.4	1.0 ± 1.2	0
LES overall length (mm)	3.3 ± 0.7	2.2 ± 1.6	0.02
% defective LES	11.1	63.7	< 0.01

Values are medians ± interquartile range unless otherwise stated. Data are from Oberg et al[27]. GEJ: Gastroesophageal junction; LES: Lower esophageal sphincter.

Table 3 Hallmarks of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with carditis in the presence or absence of erosive esophagitis

	Carditis
	No erosive esophagitis (n = 155)	Erosive esophagitis (n = 82)	P
% time pH < 4	4.1 ± 6.5	9.2 ± 7.0	< 0.01
% hiatal hernia	44.2	78.0	< 0.01
LES pressure (mmHg)	10.0 ± 8.8	5.6 ± 5.0	< 0.01
LES abdominal length (mm)	1.0 ± 1.2	0.6 ± 0.8	< 0.01
LES overall length (mm)	2.4 ± 1.4	2.1 ± 1.6	< 0.06
% defective LES	54.2	81.7	< 0.01
% intestinal metaplasia	8.3	19.5	0.02

Values are medians ± interquartile range unless otherwise stated. Data are from Oberg et al[27]. LES: Lower esophageal sphincter.