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Should we perform esophageal and/or anorectal manometries during the COVID-19 pandemic?



(doi:10.24875/NGL.20000014)


Ricardo G. Viebig, Bazilian Institute of Studies and Research in Gastroenterology (IBEPEGE), Motilidade Digestiva e Neurogastroenterologia (MoDiNe), São Paulo, SP, Brasil
Carla Granja-Andrade, CGA Centro Especializado em Neurogastroenterologia e Motilidade Digestiva. São Paulo, SP, Brasil



In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities and medical specialty organizations promptly stated that consultations and medical procedures that were not urgent should be postponed. Therefore, this paper aimed at recommending directions to when, how perform physiology and/or motility studies based on recent international guidelines, according Latin America reality. The recommendations herein described included safety measures and were further classified according to the urgency of esophageal and anorectal procedures being conducted; or elective procedures that can be postponed until the pandemic declines. When gastrointestinal motility laboratories return to full capacity, we suggest that urgent procedures take priority, followed by relatively urgent procedures and then elective procedures. It is important to highlight that these recommendations are not evidence-based as there has not yet been enough time for validation. In addition, some of these guidelines suggest the possibility of conducting rapid tests for COVID-19 before the examination, which may not be feasible for our current economic reality. Finally, each country in Latin America has a different profile of pandemic behavior. Accordingly, there is no way to establish a single regional criterion. Therefore, it is recommended that clinical units pay special attention to their local policies regarding the protection of individuals involved in the execution of diagnostic and therapeutic methods, their patients and resuming activities. 



Keywords: Gastrointestinal Motility. Manometry. Pandemics.


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