Esophageal dilatation and interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

A patulous esophagus on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the thorax is frequently observed in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Microaspiration has been purported to play a role in the development and progression of SSc interstitial lung disease (ILD), but studies examining the role of microaspiration in SSc ILD have yielded conflicting results. This study was conducted to determine the association between esophageal diameter and SSc ILD.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of Northwestern Scleroderma Registry patients with available HRCT exams was conducted. The predictor variable was the widest esophageal diameter (WED) on HRCT, and the primary and secondary outcome variables were radiographic ILD and pulmonary function tests respectively. The degr

SUBMITTER: Richardson C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5500283 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature