Comment on “Esophageal dilatation and interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis: A cross-sectional study”

Interstitial lung disease is the leading cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc) [1]. Despite this, many transplant programs exclude SSc patients from transplantation consideration due to concern for gastroesophageal reflux induced pulmonary injury via esophageal dysfunction [1]. Recent studies that examined lung transplantation outcomes in SSc patients do not support this categorical exclusion [2]. We investigated the esophageal diameter on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the thorax that is associated with ILD in patients with SSc.

Source: Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism - May 5, 2016 Category: Rheumatology Authors: Aileen Hoffmann, Jungwha Lee, Madeleine Ma, Rishi Agrawal, Rowland W. Chang, Carrie Richardson, Monique Hinchcliff, Kimberly Showalter Source Type: research