In 2022, St Vincent’s Clinic Research Foundation (SVCRF) proudly awarded a grant to A/Professor Santosh Sanagapalli. Thanks to this support, his groundbreaking research was published in the prestigious American Journal of Gastroenterology in December 2024.

A/Professor Sanagapalli is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at St Vincent’s Hospital, known for his expertise in diagnosing and treating complex oesophageal disorders, such as reflux disease, swallowing difficulties, and hiatus hernia. He practices across the St Vincent’s campus in Darlinghurst, welcoming patients from all over Australia. In addition to his busy clinical work, he is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of NSW, leading a productive research program and teaching the next generation of doctors.

With the help of SVCRF funding, A/Professor Sanagapalli undertook a pioneering study into retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (R-CPD) – an under-recognised chronic gastrointestinal condition, which causes distressing symptoms like chest pain, bloating, and abdominal discomfort. Until now, standard therapies were typically ineffective, leaving sufferers with a severely impacted quality of life.

Through his research, A/Professor Sanagapalli achieved two major breakthroughs: developing a new pressure test to accurately diagnose R-CPD and pioneering a simple, safe, minimally invasive treatment using botulinum toxin injections. This procedure proved highly effective, with 90% of patients experiencing significant relief.

The study is being completed in two parts: Part I (the initial diagnostic and treatment phase) has been published, while Part II (long-term follow-up of treated patients) is currently underway.