Esophageal disorders Flashcards
What is achalasia?
primary esophageal disorder with unknown cause with insufficient LES relaxation and loss of esophageal peristalsis
What are possible causes of achalasia?
hereditary, degeneration, autoimmune, and infectious factors
What are the symptoms of achalasia?
dysphagia for solids and liquids, regurgitation, and chest pain
What is a diffuse esophageal spasm?
repetitive, high amplitude contractions of the smooth muscle portion of the esophagus
During diffuse esophageal spasms, the ___ and ___ relax normally.
striated and LES
What is another name for a diffuse esophageal spasm?
“cork-screw esophagus”
What are strictures?
any loss of lumen area within the esophagus
What is nutcracker esophagus?
It is a variation of Diffuse esophageal spasms and there are high amplitude contractions of the distal esophagus
The normal esophagus measures ____ in diameter.
20mm
The predominant clinical symptom of strictures is a lumenal diameter of ____.
less than 15 mm
What is a schatzki ring?
narrowing of the lower part of the esophagus caused by a ring of mucosal tissue
What is gastro-esophageal reflux disorder? (GERD)
mucosal damage produced by abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus
What is Barrett’s esophagos?
erosion of the layers of the esophagus that can cause cancer
What are the classic symptoms of GERD?
frequent and persistent heartburn. Persistent sore throat, hoarseness, chronic cough, asthma, heart-like chest pain, and a feeling of a lump in the throat
What are causes of GERD?
LES barrier impairments, relaxation of LES, low resting LES pressure, increased gastric pressure, esophageal mucosal resistance, decreased clearance of reflux materials
What is Laryngo-pharyngeal reflux? (LPR)
gastric contents reach the level of the UES and spill over into the laryngeal areas that causes erosion of laryngeal mucosa and contact ulcers
How is LPR identified?
pH monitoring
LPR causes…
vocal symptoms and can cause aspiration
What is esophageal diverticula?
sac that protrudes from the esophageal wall.
What is the most common type of esophageal diverticula?
Zenker’s diverticulum
What is the only treatment for esophageal diverticula?
surgery
What are symptoms of esophageal diverticula?
Cough Bad Breath Regurgitation of undigested food May see a bulge in the throat May have repeated Pneumonia.
What is the Killian’s Triangle?
the space between the cricopharyngeal sphincter and the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle
What is scleroderma?
connective tissue disorder that weakens the LES and is increases the risk of GERD
What region is primarily affected by scleroderma?
the smooth muscle region
Scleroderma causes…
hypomotility, heartburn, dysphagia
