TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Overview of Esophageal Motility Disorders A1 - Burakoff, Robert A1 - Chan, Walter W. A2 - Sugarbaker, David J. A2 - Bueno, Raphael A2 - Burt, Bryan M. A2 - Groth, Shawn S. A2 - Loor, Gabriel A2 - Wolf, Andrea S. A2 - Williams, Marcia A2 - Adams, Ann PY - 2020 T2 - Sugarbaker’s Adult Chest Surgery, 3e AB - Primary esophageal motility disorders are characterized by abnormalities of esophageal peristalsis or contractions that interfere with swallowing and transit of food through the esophagus, producing symptoms of dysphagia and chest pain. The disorder is considered primary (idiopathic) when the cause of the patient’s symptoms and altered motility cannot be attributed to other systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus, scleroderma, amyloidosis, or neuromuscular disorders that affect striated muscle). The classic presentation is achalasia, a disorder characterized by failure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax. There are several nonspecific esophageal motility disorders, including diffuse esophageal spasm (DES), nutcracker esophagus, ineffective esophageal motility (IEM), and other abnormalities of the LES. Whether these represent true disorders, a continuum of disease, or merely abnormal motility patterns that are associated with but not the physiologic causes of symptoms remains a controversy (Table 33-1). Lack of a meaningful classification system adds to this confusion. Current systems classify the disorder based on aberrant esophageal motility patterns documented on manometric studies in the context of dysphagia and pain that cannot be explained by other thoracic or cardiac disease. These systems fall short because the cause of most motility abnormalities is unknown. Patients can have abnormal manometric tracings and be perfectly healthy. Conversely, therapies may correct the abnormal tracing, but symptoms do not improve. Strategies for managing esophageal dysmotility disorders include conservative management, treatment with drugs and other agents, and surgery. In the sections that follow we review current knowledge about the pathophysiology of the primary esophageal motility disorders and recent advances in diagnosis and treatment. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/19 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1170407354 ER -