Evaluation of esophageal distensibility in eosinophilic esophagitis: an update and comparison of functional lumen imaging probe analytic methods

• Published in: Neurogastroenterology and motility Vol. 28; no. 12; pp. 1844 - 1853
• Main Authors: Carlson, D. A., Lin, Z., Hirano, I., Gonsalves, N., Zalewski, A., Pandolfino, J. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-12-2016
• Subjects: eosinophilic esophagitis; Esophagus; functional lumen imaging probe; impedance planimetry; Methods; functional lumen imaging probe; impedance planimetry; eosinophilic esophagitis
• ISSN: 1350-1925; 1365-2982
• DOI: 10.1111/nmo.12888

Background
Distensibility evaluation of the esophageal body using the functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP) offers an objective measure to characterize patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), though this analysis may be limited by unrecognized catheter movement and esophageal contractility. The aims of this study were to report novel FLIP analytic methods of esophageal distensibility measurement in EoE and to assess the effect of contractility.
Methods
Nine healthy controls (six female; ages 20–49) and 20 EoE patients (four female; ages 19–64; grouped by degree of distension‐mediated contractility identified on FLIP) were evaluated with a 16‐cm FLIP device during step‐wise balloon distension during upper endoscopy. A distensibility plateau (DP) was generated using multiple methods to identify the narrowest esophageal body diameter: (i) wavelet decomposition (WD), (ii) maximal diameter (MD), and (iii) FLIP Analytics software.
Key Results
Distensibility was reduced in EoE patients compared with controls using the WD (p = 0.002) and MD (p = 0.001) methods; a trend was detected using the FLIP Analytics method (p = 0.055). Significant intra‐subject differences were detected between methods among both patients and controls (p‐values <0.001 to 0.025); the difference was more pronounced among subjects with a greater degree of contractility. DP was <19 mm among 7/9 controls with FLIP Analytics, 6/9 controls with WD, and 0/9 controls using the MD method.
Conclusions & Inferences
Distension‐mediated contractility affects distensibility measurement with the FLIP. Using software‐based algorithms, particularly with a method that identifies the maximal‐achieved diameters (MD), may improve objective distensibility measurement for clinical research and practice.
The functional lumen imaging probe (FLIP) offers a method to objectively measure esophageal distensibility in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), however, distension‐associated contractility may limit reliable measurement. Methods of esophageal distensbility measurement were compared among EoE patients and asymptomatic controls, which identified a novel method that may improve accuracy, and thus clinical and research utility, for objective measurement in clinical research and practice.