Esophageal Disorders

Abstract

Typically, symptoms that may indicate the presence of an esophageal disorder include heartburn, dysphagia, odynophagia, and regurgitation. Endoscopy is the technique of choice to evaluate the mucosa of the esophagus and to detect structural abnormalities, whereas esophageal manometry is the standard test to diagnose motor disorders of the esophageal body and the lower esophageal sphincter. This review examines normal esophageal anatomy and physiology, the diagnosis of esophageal disorders, disease states causing dysphagia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Figures show the cross-sectional anatomy of the esophagus; an algorithm for the evaluation of dysphagia; the anatomy of the gastroesophageal junction; esophagograms of patients with achalasia, late-stage achalasia, and diffuse esophageal spasm; endoscopic views of esophageal strictures; a proximal esophageal web on barium swallow in a patient with Plummer-Vinson syndrome; an endoscopic view of the esophagus of a 25-year-old man with a 3-year history of severe dysphagia; photographs of midesophageal traction diverticulum, multiple epiphrenic diverticula, long-segment Barrett esophagus, and severe Candida esophagitis; and a treatment algorithm for extraesophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Tables list the high-resolution manometry classification of esophageal motility disorders, causes of esophageal strictures, classic endoscopic findings in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, the Los Angeles classification of erosive esophagitis, categories of dysplasia, surveillance of Barrett metaplasia, medications implicated in pill-induced esophagitis, and classification of caustic esophageal injury. This review contains 13 figures, 40 tables, and 82 references. Keywords: achalasia, dysphagia, esophagus, reflux, strictures, diverticula, endoscopy, larynx