Ranitidine vs metoclopramide in the medical treatment of reflux esophagitis.
45 patients with symptomatic reflux esophagitis were randomly treated with either Ranitidine (150 mg b.i.d.) or Metoclopramide (10 mg t.i.d.) for six weeks. The severity of dyspeptic symptoms and the grade of endoscopic and histological esophagitis were assessed before and after treatment. Both drugs proved significantly effective in inducing symptomatic and endoscopic improvement, but Ranitidine appeared significantly superior in promoting disappearance or improvement of endoscopic esophagitis. Moreover Ranitidine was found to significantly reduce the severity of histological changes, whereas Metoclopramide was unable to do so.