Cervical esophageal motility: evaluation with US in progressive systemic sclerosis.

High-resolution ultrasound (US) showed that initial peristalsis propelled ingested soda smoothly and rapidly in 20 volunteers without symptoms who met both manometric and radionuclide esophageal scintigraphic (RES) criteria for normal motility. Twenty-eight patients with progressive systemic sclerosis were classified according to results of RES as follows: group 1, normal esophageal motility (three patients [11%]); group 2, hypomotility of the esophagus, excluding the cervical esophagus (18 patients [64%]); and group 3, hypomotility of the cervical esophagus (seven patients [25%]). In the seven patients of group 3, US demonstrated that an incomplete peristalsis sequence or a feeble peristalsis propelled the soda in a slow and/or to-and-fro motion with low velocities. In the other 21 patients (75%), the soda passed through the esophagus smoothly and rapidly. Retention of soda in the cervical esophagus was not limited to patients with hypomotility of the cervical esophagus. It is concluded that US is useful in evaluation of cervical esophageal motility.