Achalasia, more fully esophageal achalasia, is a failure of smooth muscle fibers to relax, which can cause the lower esophageal sphincter, the muscle between the esophagus and stomach that normally opens to let food in and closes to keep stomach acid from returning up, to remain closed. Without a modifier the term usually refers to achalasia of the esophagus, though the condition can occur at other points along the gastrointestinal tract, such as achalasia of the rectum in Hirschsprung's disease. Its fully understood cause is unknown, and although a genetically transmissible form has been suggested, this is neither fully understood nor agreed upon.
Facts
Classification
ICD-10 ChapterXI: Diseases of the Digestive System 1 Communicable or Non-communicable Transmission Route Causative Agent
Causative Agent (category)Idiopathic / Multifactorial 2 First Described Connections
Treated By
Source Cricopharyngeal myotomy (Wikipedia)
Heller myotomy is the standard surgical treatment for achalasia.
Source Robotic Surgery (Wikipedia)
Source Therapeutic endoscopy (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: ICD-10
WikipediaList of chapters, Chapter XIQuote, List of chapters, Chapter XI
Diseases of the digestive system
2. Achalasia (Wikipedia)
WikipediaBody text, cause statement
The most common form is primary achalasia, which has no known underlying cause. It is due to the failure of distal esophageal inhibitory neurons.
Wikipedia Diagnosis and treatment of achalasia section
the English physician Sir Thomas Willis, one of the founders of the Royal Society first described the condition now known as achalasia and treated the problem with a dilation using a sea sponge attached to a whale bone.
lead paragraph
A fully understood cause to the disease is unknown, as are factors that increase the risk of its appearance.
View the Source Cricopharyngeal myotomy (Wikipedia)
Treated By: Cricopharyngeal Myotomy, Lead: treats AchalasiaQuote, Treated By: Cricopharyngeal Myotomy, Lead: treats Achalasia
Cricopharyngeal myotomy is a surgical sectioning of the cricopharyngeus muscle, also known as the upper esophageal sphincter, that has been advocated for the treatment of cricopharyngeal spasm, or cricopharyngeal achalasia, that leads to cervical dysphagia in the clinical setting.
Robotic Surgery (Wikipedia)
WikipediaTreated By: Robotic Surgery, Article text, use for AchalasiaQuote, Treated By: Robotic Surgery, Article text, use for Achalasia
Specific procedures have been more fully evaluated, specifically esophageal fundoplication for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux and Heller myotomy for the treatment of achalasia.
Therapeutic endoscopy (Wikipedia)
Treated By: Therapeutic Endoscopy, Section: Dilatation (treats 307649)Quote, Treated By: Therapeutic Endoscopy, Section: Dilatation (treats 307649)
Since that time oesophageal dilatation has been carried out using either bougies or endoscopic balloons, and can be used to treat benign oesophageal strictures and achalasia.
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