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Query: UMLS:C0014848 (achalasia)
 2,804 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We report a case of esophageal achalasia in a nine months old baby. Recurrent cough and cyanosis were the most important clinical findings. Esophagomyotomy remarkably improved the clinical symptoms. Disorders of esophageal motility may be an important cause of respiratory emergencies in the first year of life.
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PMID:[Achalasic megaesophagus with onset in the 1st year of life. A case report]. 188 30

We describe two sisters with distal, slowly progressive muscular weakness and hypotrophy since childhood, autonomic dysfunction characterized by profuse sweating, distal cyanosis related to cold weather, orthostatic hypotension, and esophageal achalasia. Nerve conduction velocity of several motor nerves was slow, and although no sensory abnormalities were present, sural nerve biopsy revealed severe nonspecific demyelination. No similar patients could be found in the literature and we therefore suggest the possibility that these individuals have a newly recognized hereditary syndrome.
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PMID:Peripheral motor neuropathy associated with autonomic dysfunction in two sisters: new hereditary syndrome? 728 84

The time interval between ingestion and regurgitation and the stage of digestion in regurgitated food may be factors helpful in diagnosing disease of the esophagus. In most cases diagnosis can be made by x-ray alone, but where x-ray evidence is insufficient esophagoscopy is often justified.X-ray investigation for foreign bodies should include films of the neck. Cough is a common symptom of the presence of foreign bodies; obstruction may result from inflammation or edema. Perforation is most often caused by foreign bodies or by instrumentation. Esophagoscopy is hazardous in this condition and the findings are not likely to affect the course of treatment. Hiatal hernia, although probably occurring to some degree in 10 per cent of adults, seldom causes symptoms. Inflammation resulting from hernial obstruction may be mistaken for carcinoma. Esophageal carcinoma occurs most frequently in elderly persons and in men more than in women. Operation is necessary in many cases to prevent starvation. The postoperative mortality rate is as low as 11 to 24 per cent, and the proportion of five-year survivals is increasing. Achalasia or cardiospasm can generally be recognized by x-ray appearance. Bouginage is the usual treatment, but operation may be necessary. Late regurgitation of food is a common symptom of esophageal diverticulum. Atresia in a newborn infant is a dangerous condition. The effect of any of the four types of anomaly is the same: diversion of fluids from the stomach to the bronchi. Coughing, choking and cyanosis are the common symptoms in a newborn infant. Hematemesis may arise from a number of causes; esophageal hemorrhage most commonly is owing to varicosity from portal hypertension. Esophagoscopy is the quickest and safest method of determining whether hematemesis is of esophageal origin.
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PMID:Differential diagnosis of operable disease of the esophagus. 1305 38

Acute airway obstruction from mega-esophagus is a rare presentation of achalasia. Mega-esophagus is generally considered when the transverse width of the esophagus is more than 7 cm. A 78 year old lady presented with longstanding history of productive cough and nocturnal dyspnoea. She was seen in the emergency department with acute exacerbation of dyspnoea after a bout of vomiting, containing semi-solid food with foetid smell. Her respiratory status deteriorated rapidly with onset of stridor, and cyanosis. Chest x-ray showed widening of mediastinum due to dilated esophagus with air-fluid level. Prompt, repeated, upper respiratory tract suction was carried out. A wide bore nasogastric tube was introduced, esophagus was decompressed with a gush of air and fluid, relieving the respiratory distress. This case illustrates an unusual presentation of achalasia underscoring the need for urgent, life-saving esophageal decompression. Hypotheses, regarding the mechanism of airway compromise, as well as, treatment options are reviewed.
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PMID:Achalasia esophagus; presenting as acute air way obstruction. 1790 30

Esophageal hamartoma is a rare entity, as only 7 cases have been previously reported in the English-language literature. Common symptoms include dysphagia, weight loss, and vomiting. Life-threatening airway obstruction can also occur. Because of the nonspecific nature of the symptoms, patients with these dangerous polyps are often misdiagnosed as having more common entities such as gastroesophageal reflux, peptic ulcer disease, or achalasia. Most of these tumors are missed on esophagoscopy and radiologic studies, and they can go undiagnosed for years. We diagnosed an esophageal hamartoma in an infant girl who had first presented when she was 8 days old with symptoms of apnea and cyanosis. The patient had undergone a multitude of tests since her birth, and she was eventually diagnosed with episodic bradycardia. When the patient was 6 weeks old, we discovered a polyp on nasopharyngolaryngoscopy, and we removed it by microdirect laryngoscopy and esophagoscopy. This patient was the youngest of the 8 who have now been reported to have been diagnosed with a hamartomatous polyp, and she was the only one to have presented with apnea (secondary to airway obstruction) and bradycardia. We recommend microdirect laryngoscopy and esophagoscopy to remove these pedunculated cervical esophageal lesions. A transcervical approach is warranted for sessile distal esophageal polyps. Esophageal polyps are an interesting entity in view of their rarity and intriguing presentations. Because esophageal obstructions can be life-threatening, further evaluation by laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, and esophagoscopy is warranted when symptoms of dysphagia, vomiting, intermittent apnea, bradycardia, and weight loss persist despite conventional treatment.
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PMID:Esophageal hamartoma as an unusual cause of neonatal apnea and bradycardia. 2022 70