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High prevalence of oesophageal involvement in patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease using radionuclide oesophageal transit scintigraphy

AimTo look for the frequency of oesophageal dysfunction using radionuclide oesophageal transit scintigraphy in 145 patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD); to seek the correlation between the clinical/laboratory data and scintigraphic alterations; and to determine predictive value of radionuclide oesophageal transit scintigraphy for evolution to established connective tissue disease (CTD). MethodOne hundred and forty-five patients with UCTD were examined by99mTc-DTPA oesophageal transit scintigraphy. The intraoesophageal transport of the radiopharmaceutical was followed and imaged by a gamma camera, a series of 128×128 images were stored and evaluated. The correlation between the scintigraphic data and clinical and laboratory parameters was analysed statistically. ResultsUnequivocally positive scintigraphy, indicative of motor abnormality was found in 46% of patients (66), 71% (47) of whom were totally asymptomatic. Significant correlation was found between the presence and severity of scintigraphic alterations and antinuclear antibodies, the anti-&bgr;2GPI, IgM, IgG, the aCL antibody positivity, and the skin symptoms. Scintigraphic positivity was significantly more frequent in patients evolving to definitive CTD (P=0.0178), and abnormal scan predisposed to transition into the definitive CTD (odds ratio, 2.292; CI, 1.610–4.525). Its cumulative positive predictive value was found to be 43% and cumulative negative predictive value 73% with regard to the development of a definitive CTD. ConclusionOur results show that scintigraphic alterations together with clinical and laboratory alterations can help the clinician in the prediction of final outcome.