Abstract

Background. It is a current opinion among surgeons that the esophagus is shorter in patients with reflux disease and particularly in those with complicated Barrett's esophagus. However, objective evidence of this is scarce. Therefore we attempted to determine the occurrence and magnitude of this phenomenon among our patients. Methods. One hundred ninety control subjects, 77 patients with severe erosive esophagitis, 74 with Barrett's esophagus, and 29 with complicated Barrett's esophagus (ulcer, stenosis) were grouped according to height. The length of the esophagus was determined by standard manometric study, measuring the distance from the crycopharingeal sphincter to the distal limit of the lower esophageal sphincter. Values were expressed in cm as the mean ± SD. Results. The esophageal length according to height was 1 to 2 cm shorter in patients compared to controls, but these differences were not significant. Conclusions. No differences were found between patients with progressive severity of the disease. This study confirms that the presence of a so-called "short esophagus" does not exist or is not relevant in our patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, including those with complicated Barrett's esophagus.