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Due to staff departures from the Salida VA Clinic, the clinic hours will temporarily be reduced starting on October 7. The new clinic hours will be Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-12pm and 12:30-3:30pm. Lab draw appointments will be available on Tuesday mornings only.

Preparing for Your Esophageal Manometry

This exam measures pressures and movement of your esophagus as you swallow (peristalsis).

Questions after reading this?

Call the GI Triage Line at 720-723-6166, Monday – Friday and leave a message. An RN will call you back within 48 hours, or on Monday if you call on the weekend. For questions at night or on weekends, call 303-399-8020, select “0” and ask for the GI doctor on call.

What is an “esophageal manometry (or motility) study”?

  • This exam measures pressures and movement of your esophagus as you swallow (peristalsis).
  • To do this, a small flexible probe is guided through your nose and down into your esophagus.
  • You will then be asked to swallow sips of water over a brief time during the study.
  • You will not be sedated for this exam, so you do *not* need a driver.

24 hours before your study

Unless we’ve told you otherwise, STOP taking these medications:

  • Amitriptyline (Elavil)
  • Anisotropine (Valpin)
  • Atropine (Atropen)
  • Clidinium (Librax)
  • Clidinium bromide (Quarzan)
  • Desipramine hydrochloride (Norpramin)
  • Dicyclomine hydrochloride (Bentyl)
  • Diltiazem (Cardizem)
  • Doxepin (Sinequan)
  • Fluoxetine hydrochloride (Prozac)
  • Glycopyrrolate (Robinul)
  • Hyoscyamine (Levsin)
  • Imipramine (Tofranil)
  • Isosorbide dinitrate (Isordil)
  • Metoclopramide (Reglan)
  • Nifedipine (Procardia)
  • Nitroglycerin
  • Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
  • Phenobarbital (Donnatal)
  • Propantheline (Pro-Banthine)
  • Sertraline (Zoloft)
  • Sildenafil (Viagra)
  • Sorbitrate isorbide (Sorbitrate)
  • Thioridazine (Mellaril)
  • Urecholine (Bethanecol)
  • Vardenafil (Levitra)
  • Verapamil (Isoptin, Calan, Covera)

The day of your esophageal manometry

  • Stop eating and drinking SIX HOURS before your appointment time!
  • Come to your appointment 30 minutes beforehand.
  • The GI Lab is on the 3rd floor of building D, Mount Harvard. Take elevator number 1 to the 3rd floor, and our waiting room will be on the east side of the building.

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