Oesophageal spasm in patients with coronary artery spasm.

Oesophageal manometry was performed in 20 patients with chest pain, of whom 10 showed coronary artery spasm (group I) and 10 did not (group II). In the basal state oesophageal spasms were recorded in 6 patients from group I but in none from group II (p less than 0.05). In group I the duration of oesophageal contractions was 4.50 +/- 0.65 s compared with 2.86 +/- 0.36 s in group II (p less than 0.05). Prolonged hyperventilation was performed during manometry by 7 patients from each group. In group I this caused chest pain in all 7, with electrocardiographic changes in 6; at the same time oesophageal spasms were intensified in 5 patients and began anew in 1. In group II no electrocardiographic changes were seen with hyperventilation, and 1 patient showed oesophageal spasm. These observations suggest a relation between spasm of the coronary arteries and spasm of the oesophagus.