Esophaguide provides clinical resources for physicians and healthcare professionals who evaluate and manage patients with esophageal disorders. Our focus is on motility disorders and the evolving classification systems used to diagnose them.
Classification Systems
Chicago Classification
The Chicago Classification of esophageal motility disorders is the most widely adopted system for interpreting high-resolution manometry (HRM) studies. It provides standardized criteria for diagnosing conditions such as achalasia, esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction, distal esophageal spasm, jackhammer esophagus, and absent contractility.
- Chicago Classification v4.0 — The current standard, incorporating updated metrics and diagnostic thresholds
- Chicago Classification v3.0 — The prior version, still referenced in many clinical settings
Dallas Classification System
The Dallas Classification System is a comprehensive scoring approach developed to integrate multiple diagnostic modalities — including barium swallow, endoscopy, high-resolution manometry, and FLIP (Functional Lumen Imaging Probe) — into a unified assessment of esophageal motility disorders.
The Dallas Classification offers advantages for complex cases where a single test may not provide a complete clinical picture. The Dallas Classification Tool is available to assist with scoring.
Diagnostic Modalities
Resources covering the key diagnostic tools used in evaluating esophageal disorders:
- High-Resolution Manometry (HRM) — The primary tool for evaluating esophageal motor function
- FLIP (Functional Lumen Imaging Probe) — Measures esophageal distensibility and contractile response
- Barium Swallow — Radiographic evaluation of esophageal anatomy and function
- Upper Endoscopy — Direct visualization and tissue sampling
Detailed clinical resources for each modality are under development.
Research & Literature
We are building a curated collection of key publications and clinical guidelines relevant to esophageal motility disorders.
Coming soon — annotated bibliography and links to key publications.