Figure 22 - Esophageal emptying results among subject groups based on 10 test swallows.

Control subjects had complete esophageal emptying without retrograde flow in 86% 6% of test swallows compared to 61% 9% in the reducing hernia group and 31% 8% in the nonreducing hernia group (p <.05 vs. controls). The distinction between reducing hernia and nonreducing hernia was the radiographic observation of persistent rugal folds traversing the diaphragmatic hiatus in the nonreducing hernia group. The reducing hernia group exhibited significantly more instances of late retrograde flow (Figure 19) (p <.05 vs. controls) and the nonreducing hernia group had the only individuals to exhibit early retrograde flow (Figure 20) (p <.001 vs. other groups). (Source: Sloan and Kahrilas,⁶⁶ with permission from American Gastroenterological Association.)