Use of manometry in the evaluation of dysphagia.

Measurement of manometric pressures in the upper gastrointestinal tract has been done for the past 40 years. Although extensive amounts of data have been compiled for the lower esophageal sphincter and the esophageal body, technical problems have limited the usefulness of measurements of the upper esophageal sphincter and the pharynx. Newer equipment and methods may solve these technical problems, but more normative data and more widespread use of these technologies must be obtained before manometry is clinically useful in the diagnosis of pharyngeal dysphagia.