Diagnosis of oesophageal spasm by ergometrine provocation.

Oesophageal spasm may mimic the pain of myocardial ischaemia. Forty-two patients who were thought to have angina until investigations failed to show any cardiovascular abnormality, were examined for oesophageal disease. Ergometrine provocation during oesophageal manometry caused significant deterioration in oesophageal motility, associated with familiar pain, in 24 patients. Ten age-matched controls were examined in a similar way and ergometrine produced motility changes in four and pain in two. Six volunteers with coronary artery stenosis and exercise-induced angina did not develop oesophageal motility changes during the pain. Ergometrine provocation is useful in establishing the diagnosis of oesophageal spasm in patients with recurrent angina-like pain but no cardiac abnormality.