The value of radiological examination in postoperative diagnostics of cardiospasm.

The aim of the study is to assess the value of radiological examination in determining the efficacy of combined operative treatment of cardiospasm. The study group comprised 38 patients, in whom control radiological examinations were performed after surgical treatment of achalasia of oesophagus. The assessment of motor function and efficiency of the cardia was done with physical, radiological examination, oesophagoscopy including taking specimens for histopathologic examination, 24-hour pH-metry and manometry. Different radiological pictures of the gullet and cardia after cardiotomy surgery with subsequent antireflux procedure were presented. It was found that radiological examination in patients surgically treated for cardiospasm enabled the assessment of the efficacy of gullet emptying, width of fundoplication cuff and efficacy of antireflux procedure and that in the assessment of motor function it shows a limited value in correlation with manometric data.