Mean Basal Esophagogastric Junction Pressure Is a Better High-resolution Manometry Predictor of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Than Esophagogastric Junction Contractile Integral.

Background/Aims: : Esophagogastric junction contractile integral (EGJ-CI) is a metric of EGJ barrier function assessed on high-resolution manometry (HRM). However, its clinical utility may be limited by measurement discrepancies and wide variability. Mean basal EGJ pressure (MBEP) is a novel, simple HRM metric assessing barrier function. We compared their performance to predict conclusive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Methods: : Consecutive patients undergoing esophageal function testing for known or suspected GERD were retrospectively evaluated. MBEP and EGJ-CI were manually calculated. Conclusive GERD was defined as acid exposure time > 6% or histologically confirmed Barrett's esophagus. Statistical analyses including Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, univariable and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Results: : Two hundred and twenty-six patients (mean age 52.8 ± 14.6 years, 58% males) were included. Applying Lyon 2.0 consensus criteria, 41% had conclusive GERD, 8% had borderline GERD, 8% had reflux hypersensitivity, and 43% had no GERD evidence. Patients with conclusive GERD had significantly lower MBEP compared to those without (11.8 mmHg vs 18.5 mmHg; Conclusions: : MBEP is a simple HRM metric to evaluate anti-reflux barrier function, predicting conclusive GERD and differentiating reflux phenotypes with better performance than EGJ-CI. This metric could serve as a valuable adjunctive tool in GERD diagnosis.