Understanding the sensory irregularities of esophageal disease

ABSTRACT

Symptoms relating to esophageal sensory abnormalities can be encountered in the clinical environment. Such sensory abnormalities may be present in demonstrable disease, such as erosive esophagitis, and in the ostensibly normal esophagus, such as non-erosive reflux disease or functional chest pain. In this review, the authors discuss esophageal sensation and the esophageal pain system. In addition, the authors provide a primer concerning the techniques that are available for investigating the autonomic nervous system, neuroimaging and neurophysiology of esophageal sensory function. Such technological advances, whilst not readily available in the clinic may facilitate the stratification and individualization of therapy in disorders of esophageal sensation in the future.

KEYWORDS:

• Esophagus
• pain
• sensation
• pathophysiology

Acknowledgements

ADF is supported by the Danish Diabetes Academy funded by the NovoNordisk Foundation. CB, AMD, CB and DL were in part supported from Innovation Fund Denmark - Individuals, Disease and Society. HG was in part supported by grants from Chongqing Science and Technology Commission (cstc2013kjrc-ljrccj10003) and National “111 Plan” Base (B06023).

Financial and competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.