When is esophagitis healed? esophageal endoscopy, histology and function before and after cimetidine treatment.

In order to assess whether in reflux esophagitis morphological and functional disorders persist after macroscopic healing, cimetidine was given for 6-12 weeks at a dose of 1.6 g/day to 30 patients with acid gastroesophageal reflux and esophagitis. The mucosal defects healed in 6 patients, improved in 14 patients, and remained unchanged in 10 patients. Lower esophageal sphincter pressure, acid clearance, acid perfusion test, and histological signs of mucosal inflammation were assessed before and after treatment. The histological and functional findings did not improve after healing of the mucosal defects. Therefore, endoscopic normalization in patients with reflux esophagitis is not associated with the disappearance of inflammation and abnormal motor function. The persistence of these abnormalities might explain the tendency of esophagitis to recur after symptomatic and endoscopic "healing."