causes of oropharyngeal dysphagia
muscular or neurologic disorders, most commonly stroke, Parkinson disease, ALS, MG, and muscular dystrophy
what test to rule out oropharyngeal disease
videofluroscopy
signs of zenker diverticulum
present with regurgitation of undigested food, gurgling sound in the chest, and severe halitosis.
how to differentiate mechanical vs motility abnormality in esophageal dysphagia
Solid-food dysphagia is most often caused by a structural esophageal abnormality.
Dysphagia for solids and liquids or for liquids alone suggests an esophageal motility abnormality such as achalasia
how would you describe a esophageal web or schazki ring (distal esophageal ring)
Solid-food dysphagia that occurs episodically for months to years
how does achalasia occur
degeneration of the myenteric plexus with failure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax in response to swallowing and absent peristalsis
does achalasia affect solid, liquids or both and common presenting symptom
both
presents with nonacidic regurgitation of undigested food
diagnostics for achalasia
Diagnostic evaluation should be performed in the following order:
• barium swallow: the preferred screening test when diagnosis is suspected clinically;
shows “bird’s beak” narrowing of the GE junction
• esophageal manometry: documents the absence of peristalsis and incomplete relaxation of the LES with swallows
• upper endoscopy: to rule out adenocarcinoma (pseudoachalasia) at the GE
junction
what infectious disease is associated with achalasia
• If the patient has a history of travel to South America, suspect Chagas disease as
the cause of achalasia
tx for achalasia
Laparoscopic surgical myotomy of the LES and endoscopic pneumatic dilation of the
esophagus are first-line therapies for achalasia.
a patient without alarm features (anemia, dysphagia, vomiting, weight loss), symptom relief with PPI therapy confirms which diagnosis.
GERD
what test to order if GERD symptoms refractory to empiric therapy with PPIs
Make sure patient is on bid dosing x 4-8w then Upper endoscopy; if normal, then choose ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring or impedance pH testing while taking a PPI for symptom–reflux correlation
next step if patient has Dysphagia, odynophagia, and weight loss
EGD to rule out malignancy
what should be the suggestion for a patient with GERD refractory to medical management or patients who have an excellent response to a PPI but do not want long-term medical therapy.
antireflux surgery
what testing should be done prior to surgery
Patients should undergo pH monitoring to demonstrate true reflux with symptom correlation and manometry to rule out a
motility disorder before surgery
what is barretts esophagus
a premalignant condition caused by longstanding GERD
Barrett screening
Screen MEN only aged >50 years with GERD symptoms for more than 5 years and additional risk factors (nocturnal reflux symptoms,
hiatal hernia, elevated BMI, tobacco use, and intra-abdominal distribution of fat)
how is barrett diagnosed
columnar epithelium above the normally located GE junction. Lowgrade or high-grade dysplasia in biopsy specimens should be confirmed by an expert pathologist.
tx for barretts based on dysplasia
No dysplasia- PPI
low to high grade- ablation
surveillance for barretts
In patients with BE and no dysplasia, surveillance examinations should occur at intervals no more frequent than 3 to 5 years.
More frequent intervals of every 6 to 12 months are indicated in patients with BE and low-grade dysplasia who do not choose endoscopic ablation
most common infectious cause of candidiasis
Candida albicans is the most common infectious cause, followed by CMV and HSV
pills that cause esophagitis
tetracyclines, NSAIDs, potassium chloride, iron, and alendronate
how do young patients with eosinophilic esophagitis present
extreme dysphagia and food impaction.
endoscopy findings in EE
w mucosal furrowing, stacked circular rings, white specks, and mucosal friability.
Endoscopic biopsies show marked infiltration with eosinophils.