Chapter 4: Esophagus Flashcards
Esophageal development occurs primarily during what week of gestation?
4th week of gestation
Failure of separation of the dorsal foregut from the laryngeotracheal tree during development
Tracheoesophageal fistula
Failure of recanalization of tubular lumen
Esophageal atresis, web, stenosis
Extends 18-25cm from the pharynx to the stomach
Esophagus
5-6cm and extends from the cricopharyngeus muscle (C6) to thoracic inlet (T1)
Cervical Esophagus
15cm and extends from the thoracic inlet (T1) to esophageal hiatus of the diaphragm (T10)
Thoracic Esophagus
5-6cm and may be absent in patients with a hiatal hernia or esophageal shortening
Abdominal esophagus
Created by the cricopharyngeus and innervated by recurrent laryngeal nerve
Upper esophageal sphincter
Narrowest region of the esophagus
At level of cricopharyngeus
Anatomic sites of esophageal narrowing
Aortic arch
Bronchus (left main stem)
Cricopharyngeus
Diaphragm
Mucosa of the esophagus
Nonkeratinizing, stratified squamous epithelium
Esophageal wall is made up of:
Mucosa
Submucosa
Muscularis
Provides parasympathetic innervation to the esophagus
Vagus nerve
Innervates the cricopharyngeus and cervical esophagus
Recurrent laryngeal nerve
Site of cricopharyngeal weakness
Killian’s triangle
Most common location to find pseudodiverticula or iatrogenic perforation
Killian’s triangle
UES pressure at rest
50-70 mmHg
UES pressure with bolus
12-14 mmHg
Also referred as the high-pressure zone which prevents reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus
LES
Resting LES pressure
10-20 mmHg
Characterized by aperistalsis and failure of LES relaxation during swallowing
Achalasia
Arterial supply of cervical esophagus
Inferior thyroid artery
Arterial supply of thoracic esophagus
Aorta and bronchial arteries
Arterial supply of abdominal esophagus
Left gastric artery
Inferior phrenic artery
Most common esophageal motility disorder
Achalasia
Manometry result in achalasia
Lack of peristalsis
Failure of LES relaxation
Bird’s beak tapering of distal esophagus with dilation of proximal segment in barium swallow
Achalasia
Definitive therapy for achalasia
Heller myotomy
Rare disorder characterized by degeneration of smooth muscle, resulting in LES failure and disordered peristalsis of distal esophagus
Scleroderma
Primary motility disorder characterized by disordered, high-amplitude motility
Diffuse esophageal spasm
Predominant symptom of Diffuse esophageal spasm
Substernal chest pain
Barium swallow reveals corkscrew esophagus and segmentation
Diffuse esophageal spasm
Manometry reveals frequent, high-amplitude, simultaneous contractions of esophageal body. LES is typically normal
Diffuse esophageal spasm
Most common primary esophageal disorder
Nutcracker esophagus
Manometry reveals characteristic continuous, high-amplitude (>2 SD above normal) peristalsis
Nutcracker esophagus
Pulsion diverticulum usually found at Killian’s triangle as a result of discoordination of UES relaxation and swallowing
Pharyngoesophageal or Zenker’s diverticula
Ulcer in a sliding hiatal hernia commonly found on the lesser curvature
Cameron’s ulcer
Sliding hiatal hernia
Type I
Rolling paraesophageal hernia
Type II
Type of hernia where GEJ remains intra-abdominal
Type II/Rollling paraesophageal hernia
Borchardt’s triad of an incarcerated paraesophageal hernia
Severe chest pain
Painful retching without emesis
Inability to pass a NGT
Longitudinal tears in the esophageal mucosa near the GEJ following repeated retching which commonly occur in alcoholics
Mallory-Weiss tears
Definitive diagnosis of mallory-weiss tears
Endoscopy
Most common cause of esophageal perforation
Iatrogenic
Spontaneous rupture of the esophagus resulting from increased intraabdominal pressure against a closed glottis
Boerhaave’s syndrome
Most common location of Boerhaave’s syndrome
Distal thoracic esophagus
Type of necrosis caused by alkali agents
Liquefactive necrosis
Type of necrosis caused by acids
Coagulation necrosis
Premalignant condition characterized by intestinal metaplasia of the normal esophageal squamous mucosa
Barrett’s esophagus
Primary risk factor of Barrett’s esophagus
GERD
Most common esophageal malignancy
Adenocarcinoma
What layer is essential to esophageal anastomoses?
Submucosa
Which layer is absent in the esophagus?
Serosa
A 50-year old man develops an esophageal perforation. Where is the most common site of esophageal perforation during endoscopy?
Killian’s triangle
Where is the most common site of esophageal perforation after repeated vomiting?
Distal thoracic esophagus
What are the risk factors for SCC of the esophagus?
Tobacco use, alcohol, caustic injury, Plummer-Vinson syndrome
What are the risk factors of Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus?
Chronic GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, obesity
A 45-year old man presents with progressive dysphagia to solids. What is the first diagnostics study?
Barium swallow
What is the indication for esophagectomy in a patient with Barrett’s esophagus?
Severe (high-grade) dysplasia on biopsy
What are manometric hallmarks of achalasia?
Aperistalsis and failure of LES relaxation
What are manometric hallmarks of DES?
Disordered, high amplitude contractions
What are long-term complications of caustic injury to esophagus?
Stricture
SCC
What determines resectability of esophageal malignancy?
Freedom from distant mestastases or distant nodal involvement
Ability to resect any adjacent, involved structures
A 77-year old female presents with severe chest pain, intractable retching, and inability to pass a NGT. What is the diagnosis?
Incarcerated or stangulated paraesophageal hernia
A 77-year old female presents with severe chest pain, intractable retching, and inability to pass a NGT. What is the treatment?
Emergent surgical repair
An 80-year old man with dysphagia presents with aspiration pneumonia. For his esophageal study, what is the contrast agent of choice?
Nonionis (water soluble) agent to minimize the risk of pneumonitis
A 30-year old male has chest pain and dyspnea after upper endoscopy. What CXR findings suggest esophageal perforation?
Pneumomediastinum
Subcutaneous emphysema
Hydropneumothorax
Pleural effusion
What are the benefits of laparoscopic Heller myotomy with partial fundoplication compared to left thorascopic myotomy for the treatment of achalasia?
Decreased length of stay
Decreased of postoperative reflux
A 30-year old male is incidentally found to have a Zenker’s diverticulum. What is the appropriate treatment?
None if asymptomatic
If symptomatic, surgical excision via neck or transoral stapling
What is the normal LES resting pressure?
10-20 mmHg
What is the normal UES resting pressure
50-70 mmHg
A 58-year old man with long history of GERD undergoes endoscopy with biopsy. Pathology reveals mild dysplasia. What is the recommended follow up?
Endoscopic surveillance with biopsies at least every 2 years
A 35-year old female presents with progressive hearburn and regurgitation of undigested food. She has a barium swallow that reveals a bird’s beak tapering of the distal esophagus. What will her manometry studies show?
Lack of peristalsis and failure of LES relaxation