Retrosternal pain subsequent to sclerotherapy.

A controlled trial was conducted to determine the etiology of retrosternal pain following sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy was performed on patients that had previously bled from varices. Esophageal motility studies were recorded from seven patients prior to sclerotherapy and immediately subsequent (within 10 min) to it. Motility studies were also recorded from seven normal subjects before and after undergoing gastroscopy to determine the effects of gastroscopy upon esophageal motility. Sclerotherapy appears to induce a transient pattern of diffuse esophageal spasm, the main features of which are significantly (p less than 0.05) prolonged wave duration, increased peak amplitude, and simultaneous contractions.