Author:

Keywords:

Angina Pectoris, Chest Pain, Diagnosis, Differential, Esophageal Motility Disorders, Gastroesophageal Reflux, Humans, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 3202 Clinical sciences

Abstract:

Angina-like chest pain in patients with coronary arteriography raises difficult diagnostic problems. The pain may be due to microvascular angina (or syndrome X). It is postulated that during the typical angina of these patients, the ST segment shifts on exercise electrocardiogram and the abnormal electrophysiologic tests on cardiac catheterisation are due to a decreased coronary flow reserve related to microvascular abnormalities. Angina-like chest pain may also be of oesophageal origin. Gastro-oesophageal reflux and oesophageal motility disorders are the two commonest oesophageal abnormalities held responsible for the pain. Recent observations suggest that sensitivity of the oesophagus to several stimuli may be another important cause of chest pain of oesophageal origin. This condition is called irritable oesophagus. Twenty-four hour pH- and pressure-recording is at present the best way to reach a specific diagnosis about the nature of the oesophageal abnormality.