Title: Esophageal dysmotility, esophageal motility disorder, causes, symptoms, diagnosis & treatment
Headings: Esophageal dysmotility
Esophageal dysmotility
Esophageal motility disorder
Esophagus anatomy
Figure 1. Esophagus
Figure 2. Esophagus anatomy
Figure 3. Cross section view of the esophagus
Esophagus physiology
Figure 4. How the esophagus works
Upper esophageal sphincter
Peristalsis
Lower esophageal sphincter
Esophageal motility disorder causes
Primary esophageal causes of esophageal dysmotility include:
Systemic disorders causing esophageal dysmotility include:
Esophageal motility disorder symptoms
Achalasia
Spastic esophageal motility disorders
Scleroderma esophagus
Esophageal motility disorder diagnosis
Esophageal motility disorder treatment
Esophageal strictures treatment
Achalasia treatment
Medications
Botulinum toxin injection
Mechanical dilation
Surgery
Common pitfalls and side-effects of management
Esophageal motility disorder prognosis
Achalasia
Scleroderma esophagus
Spastic esophageal motility disorders
Mortality and morbidity
Complications
Achalasia and squamous cell carcinoma
MOST POPULAR

Content: Oropharyngeal dysfunction may result from certain surgeries, such as tracheostomy, laryngectomy or cervical dissection. There are primary idiopathic motor disorders that include achalasia, diffuse esophageal spasm, nutcracker esophagus, hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter and nonspecific esophageal motility disorders. Reflux disease is associated with an lower esophageal sphincter that is not sufficiently tight allowing gastric acid to wash back into the esophagus. The contractions of the esophagus in patients with reflux are generally not abnormal, but with long-standing reflux disease, they may decrease in amplitude. The esophagus is lined by both circular and longitudinal muscles that terminate at a 2- to 4-cm circular muscle layer called the lower esophageal sphincter. The lower esophageal sphincter accounts for approximately 90% of the basal pressure at the gastroesophageal junction, and functions as an anti-reflux barrier. Esophageal peristalsis is a very synchronized action regulated by the vagus nerve that both stimulates and inhibits neurons in the esophageal myenteric plexus. The disruption of coordination between excitatory and inhibitory signals to myenteric neurons results in esophageal motility disorder. Hypomotility of the esophageal body ranges from low wave amplitude to complete peristaltic failure, and etiologies include rheumatologic (scleroderma, connective tissue disorders), endocrinologic (diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism) and other diseases (alcoholism, amyloidosis). The shared symptom of these disorders of hypomotility is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).