Clinical Research Directory

Striated Esophageal Motor Function Modulation in Health and Disease

The investigators hypothesize that striated esophagus deglutitive motor function is modulated by pharyngeal phase swallowing biomechanics.

Per-oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) in Patients with Postfundplication Dysphagia

Laparoscopic fundoplication represents the standard antireflux procedure, when conservative measures fail. However, any type of fundoplication may be accompanied by adverse events. Postfundoplication dysphagia (PFD) may hamper results of anti-reflux surgery. Endoscopic pneumatic dilation has been considered as the first line treatment option for persistent PFD. However, studies have not confirmed its effectiveness in this indication. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) became a standard treatment for the management of esophageal achalasia and moreover has also been assessed in a small cohort of patients with refractory PFD and some patients achieved significant treatment success. We plan to perform a prospective international cohort multicenter study assessing the efficacy of POEM in patients with persistent and severe PFD.

Esophageal Impedance and Manometry Measurements and Dysphagia Symptom Scoring

Comparison of manometry measurements and EndoFlip Balloon measurements in patients with dysphagia and a known esophageal diagnosis

Buspirone for Weak or Absent Esophageal Peristalsis

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over clinical trial of buspirone in patients with complaints of dysphagia due to poor esophageal motility. The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effect of buspirone on esophageal motility by performing high resolution impedance manometry (HRiM).

Effect of Botulinum Toxin Injection Into Upper Esophageal Sphincter in Patients With Medullary Infarction

Dysphagia is an important complication in patients with medullary infarction, the incidence rate is 57%-69%. Compared with other brain infarctions, the medulla oblongata involves multiple swallowing-related nerve nuclei, and the possibility of brain remodeling after injury is small. Dysphagia has become a prominent clinical problem in patients with medullary infarction, which can lead to malnutrition, decrease the quality of life of patients and affect the prognosis of the disease. Solving this clinical problem is particularly important for patients with medullary infarction. The incidence of UES opening disorder in patients with medullary infarction is as high as 80%, and the clinical problem of UES opening disorder is enthusiastically studied at home and abroad. At present, the intervention measures include balloon dilatation, surgical incision and botulinum toxin injection. Balloon dilatation is easy to cause mucosal edema and damage, and cricopharyngeal myotomy often has complications such as local infection, massive hemorrhage and local nerve injury. There is no significant difference between the success rate of UES botulinum toxin injection and surgical incision. Among the above measures, UES botulinum toxin injection has a good clinical application prospect, but the drug dosage and injection method are still not unified in clinic. In particular, how to accurately locate has become a hot topic in current research. On this basis, this study uses ultrasound combined with balloon localization to inject UES botulinum toxin and make clinical observation.

A Phase II Clinical Study of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate in Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cancer

The investigators conduct this phase II study to evaluate safety and effectiveness of EGCG in patients with dysphagia. Swallowing-related dysphagia and pain scores were recorded using the numerical rating scale (NRS) daily . Barium meal radiography was utilized to measure the luminal size and the length of the lesion area both before and after a week of EGCG treatment. The scales are translated into Chinese and guides in Chinese are developed instructing how to use the scales and perform the assessments.