Estudo eletromanométrico do esôfago em portadores da doença de Chagas em sua forma indeterminada

OBJECTIVE: To study the manometric findings of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) as well as the motility of the body of esophagus of patients with indeterminate form of Chagas'disease. METHODS: The patients had positive serological for Chagas'disease but were asymptomatic and the eletrocardiogram, colon and esophagus showed no radiological findings typical of Chagas'disease. Thirty-seven subjects were submitted to the manometric study of the esophagus to evaluate the pressure of the sphincteres and peristalsis of the body of the esophagus. RESULTS: There was a reduction of the average of the amplitude of the esophageal contraction waves (p=0.03) at the body of the esophagus of subjects with synchronic waves when compared with subjects with asynchronic waves. The average of the maximum pressure value of the UES in synchronic group was significantly higher (p=0.02) than the avarege found in subjects with asynchronic waves. CONCLUSION: It was found a great number of subjects with synchronic waves in the undeterminated form of Chagas'disease (48.65%). The average of the amplitude of esophageal waves was smaller in subjects with synchronic waves. The avarage of maximum UES pressure is higher in subjects with synchronic waves than in subjects with asynchronic waves.