George Philips, MD, Academic Gastroenterology; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical SocietyQ: It’s hard for me to swallow and I’m regurgitating foods and losing weight. My doctor says I may have achalasia. What does this mean and can this condition be corrected?
A: Achalasia is spastic disorder of the lower esophagus, which is the muscular tube that runs from the throat to the stomach. With this condition, the lower esophageal sphincter – a bundle of muscles that acts like a flap – does not open correctly to pass food into the stomach. Food and beverages may travel back up into throat, causing regurgitation and even chest pain.
Botox injections are sometimes used to provide temporary relief for achalasia, and surgery with external incisions can be an effective treatment. But it’s now possible to perform the surgery without any external incisions, treating the condition entirely within the esophagus. This incisionless procedure only takes about an hour and helps patients recover more rapidly than traditional surgery.
– George Philips, MD, Academic Gastroenterology; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society
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