Esophageal motility abnormalities in Barrett's esophagus

A prerequisite for the development of Barrett's esophagus (BE) is gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Previous studies have noted that patients with Barrett's esophagus have a substantial amount of reflux, comparable to patients with erosive esophagitis. The pathologic effect of GERD on the esophagus is determined by both the frequency of reflux events and the duration of esophageal mucosal contact time with each reflux event. There is a paucity of data on whether patients with BE have unique motor abnormalities that predispose them to a heavy reflux burden. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of reflux and the common anatomic and physiologic abnormalities in the context of patients with BE.