Cough is one of the most common symptoms that causes patients to seek outpatient medical care. If cough persists longer than 8 weeks, common causes of chronic cough, such as upper airway cough syndrome, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), should be considered. Although not a common cause of chronic cough, achalasia may cause symptoms very similar to reflux that can lead to its m...

Achalasia of the oesophagus is characterized by the absence of peristalsis, failure of the inferior oesophageal sphincter to relax after swallowing (Harris, 1966), and a positive mecholyl test (Kramer and Ingelfinger, 1951). This combination offeatures is regarded as specific for this disease. Nevertheless, in the literature a number of cases have been designated achalasia despite the presence ...

Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder that is characterized by a loss of peristalsis in the distal esophagus and failure of lower esophageal sphincter relaxation. The risk of developing esophageal motility disorders, including achalasia, following bariatric surgery is controversial and differs based on the type of surgery. Most of the reported cases occurred with laparoscopic adjusta...

Secondary achalasia due to submucosal invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a very rare condition. Here, we report a case of secondary achalasia diagnosed after distal esophagectomy, initially mistaken as primary achalasia. A 51-year-old man presented with progressive dysphagia for 2 months and mild weight loss. A barium swallow study, endoscopy, and manometry showed typical f...

background achalasia is the most recognized motor disorder of the esophagus.because it is an uncommon disease, most studies have reviewed small numbers of patients. here, we report demographic, clinical features and treatment outcomes in 700 achalasia patients. methods in all patients, diagnosis was established based on clinical, radiological, endoscopic and manometric criteria. a questionnaire...

BACKGROUND Studies of achalasia epidemiology are important as they often yield new insights into disease etiology. In this study, our objective was to carry out the first North American population-based study of achalasia epidemiology using a governmental administrative database. METHODS All residents in the province of Alberta, Canada receive universal healthcare coverage as a benefit. The p...

Heartburn, the main symptom of gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GORD), might be expected to occur infrequently in achalasia, a disorder characterised by a hypertensive lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) that fails to relax. Nevertheless, it is often described by patients with achalasia. The medical records of 32 patients with untreated achalasia who complained of heartburn, and of 35 similar pa...

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of endoscopic pneumatic balloon dilatation as the initial treatment for achalasia of the cardia. 15 patients with achalasia underwent a total of 19 dilatations using the new polyethylene dilator (Microvasive Rigiflex Balloon Dilator) over the last 6 years. An overall treatment success rate of 93% was achieved. 11 patients (73.3%) have not required a ...

We read with great interest the recently published article by Müller [1]. Th e author aimed to explain the importance of high-resolution manometry (HRM) on achalasia diagnosis and management. She explained conventional manometry (CM) and HRM criteria for diagnosis of achalasia. We thank Muller for this valuable study, but we think that there are some controversies needed to be clarifi ed. First...

Achalasia is an esophageal motility disorder that is accepted as a risk factor for the development of cancer. Especially in megaesophagus, chronic irritation of foods and bacterial overgrowth may contribute to the formation of high-grade dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma. We present a case of advanced stage achalasia with high-grade dysplasia detected three years after a cardiomyotomy opera...