Evaluation of methods for qualitative and quantitative assessment of esophageal transit of liquid.

The aim of this work was to compare the advantages and the limitations of several data processing techniques for the assessment of esophageal transit. The following qualitative methods were evaluated: scintigraphic image, cine-display, regional time-activity curve, and condensed image. The quantitative methods evaluated were the pixel to pixel presentation of parameters of the time-activity curves such as time of arrival, time to maximum, and several downslope parameters, mean transit time, mean time, and a new transit parameter based on the radioactive decay. The study allowed us to conclude that for the detection and the quantitation of esophageal transit the method of choice was the combined use of the condensed image and the pixel to pixel mean time image. The parametric image using the transit parameter calculated from decay was shown as a valuable alternative if an ultra-short half-life radionuclide was used as the tracer.