A study of 111 cases of globus hystericus.

Videofluorography (VFG) and manometry were used to evaluate 111 patients who were diagnosed with globus hystericus. Most of the globus patients were affected by functional diseases and the underlying pathology could be revealed by VFG in 73.9 per cent of the series and by manometry in 80.2 per cent. There were 10.8 per cent of the series in which VFG and manometry yieled normal findings. The most common abnormality determined by manometry was esophageal aperistalsis. The most common abnormality revealed by VFG was cricopharyngeal bar. VFG was sensitive for morphologic detection while manometry was sensitive for motility study. Functional disorders can result in morphologic abnormality and vice versa. Therefore, VFG and manometry complement each other and are invaluable tools in the investigation of globus patients.