In an attempt to attain the best possible delimitation of all the problems posed today by benign diseases of the esophagus, 181 authors each agreed to answer one or more of 210 questions that had been drawn up on the subject. These questions, each one deliberately limited and difficult, mostly concerned reflux esophagitis: its natural history, the means of its diagnosis, all existing treatments, and its eventual degeneration. The authors approached are today's most reputed specialists in the fields of epidemiology, gastroenterology, endoscopy, pathology, and surgery of esophageal diseases. The authors were all assigned one or more questions in their own field, none of which was simple: all did their best to synthesize in their replies their own experience on the precise point under review and included all the most useful bibliographical references on the topic. The book is thus the result of an original, individual approach to try to pinpoint the heart of a problem. The 210 answers succeed one another in logical progression according to the different diagnostic and therapeutic stages, specifying, at each step, the degree of precision sought. Consequently, the reader has at his disposal an exceptional synthesis of facts and concepts. Opening the book at random he will find at once the detail he is looking for, the professional opinion he is lacking, or the development of a question he had perhaps not yet asked himself.

Knowledge concerning oesophageal pathophysiology has until recently lagged far behind that of the pathophysiology of other portions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for reasons that still remain unclear. Yet, it is the fact that, at least until the last few decades, interest in the oesophagus was primarily based on pathologic anatomy. Even today, much remains to be learnt on the pathophysiology of oesophageal disease. The recent development of methods of studying both morphology and function of the oesophagus has resulted in a better understanding of normal and abnormal oesophageal patterns with a corresponding improvement in treatment, which is now physiologically, rather than anatomically based. As customary, the World OESO Congresses are planned to provide each time a thorough analysis of a specific topic in oesophageal disease. The 8th World Congress of OESO was devoted to the Foregut: Function and Dysfunction to emphasise the complex interaction between the oesophagus and the other portions of the upper GI tract, either in maintaining physiological function or in triggering oesophageal disease. The choice is a timely one because recent investigations have allowed new insights into the pathophysiology of these complex interactions to be gained. It is indeed becoming clear that there are intriguing pathophysiological abnormalities that account for upper GI symptoms and that more targeted therapy is needed to address the unmet clinical needs. Within this framework, specific sessions were devoted to disorders of secretion, of motility as well as of nutrition with a special emphasis on recent advances. Unlike some of the other publications, this volume does not merely represent the proceedings of an International Congress. With its now established and successful format, it collects the answers to 130 key questions, offered by 110 basic scientists and clinicians the world over, all of whom have personally contributed to the topic, in order to provide a glimpse of what may lie ahead. The easy-to-read format will allow the practising and busy physician to keep up efficiently with advances in diagnosis and therapy in this rapidly evolving field.

The World OESO Congresses are planned to provide each time a thorough analysis of a single topic on oesophageal disease. The Seventh World Congress of EOSO was entirely devoted to Duodenogastroesophageal reflux. Clarification of the role of duodenogastroesophageal reflux in the context of oesophageal disease has been hampered for a long time by inadequate methods to detect it. The recent availability of methodology to detect either biliary or non acidic reflux has allowed to gain new insights into pathophysiology and to develop new therapeutic approaches. This book does not merely represent the proceedings of an International Congress: it collects the answers to 125 key questions, offered by basic scientists and clinicians from all over the world, all of whom have personally contributed to the topic, in order to provide a glimpse of what may lie ahead.