Esophageal Motility Disorder

Esophageal motility disorder
Other names: Esophageal dysmotility (ED)
Esophageal dysmotility black arrow
Specialty	Gastroenterology
Diagnostic method	Esophageal motility study Functional Lumen Imaging Probe
Treatment	Depends on cause

An esophageal motility disorder (EMD) is any disorder causing difficulty in swallowing, regurgitation of food or a spasm-type pain. The most prominent one is dysphagia.

Esophageal motility disorder may be a result of CREST syndrome, referring to the five main features: calcinosis, Raynaud syndrome, esophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly and telangiectasia.^[1]

Types[edit | edit source]

Dysphagia could be for solids only, or for solids and liquids both.^{[citation needed]}

• Solid dysphagia is due to obstructions such as esophageal cancer, esophageal webs, or stricture.
• Solid-and-liquid dysphagia is due to an esophageal motility disorder (or dysmotility) either in the upper esophagus (caused by, for example, myasthenia gravis, stroke, or dermatomyositis) or the lower esophagus (where causes include systemic sclerosis, CREST syndrome, or achalasia).

The most common form of dysphagia is achalasia, which is caused by degeneration of the nerves in the esophagus. This causes the muscles to stop working and prevents the valve at the bottom of the esophagus from being able to open properly.^[2]

Signs and symptoms[edit | edit source]

Symptoms of EMD can include chest pain, and intermittent Dysphagia for solids, liquids, or both, and regurgitation.^[3] There are contractions along the lower esophagus, and these contractions prevent the passage of food.^[4]

Cause[edit | edit source]

The etiology of esophageal motility disorder is due to neuromuscular or structural disorders^[5]

Diagnostics[edit | edit source]

Testing to diagnose an EMD include: Barium Esophagography, Upper Endoscopy, and Esophageal Manometry.^[6]

Treatments[edit | edit source]

There is no cure for EMD, but symptoms can be managed. Some symptom management includes eating slower and taking smaller bites; in some cases medications can be useful to manage other issues that contribute to EMD such as a proton pump inhibitor to ease gastroesophageal reflux (acid reflux), or a smooth muscle relaxant for issues with the muscles.^[6]

If there is a food allergy causing the dysmotility disorder, then physicians recommend an elimination diet. If this fails, then physicians will prescribe special types of medication to help resolve this problem.

See also[edit | edit source]

Functional Lumen Imaging Probe

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Classification	MeSH: D015154
External resources	eMedicine: article/174783