Benign tumors of the esophagus constitute only about 20% of all esophageal neoplasms. Most are small, asymptomatic lesions, but these tumors may occasionally cause dysphagia or other symptoms, necessitating endoscopic or surgical removal. Depending on their site of origin in…
Drug-Induced Esophagitis Since its original description in 1970, drug-induced esophagitis has been recognized as an increasingly common condition in today’s pill-oriented society. The most frequent causes include tetracycline, doxycycline, potassium chloride, quinidine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and alendronate. Because of…
Because of greater survival of immunocompromised patients, infectious esophagitis has become an increasingly common problem in modern medical practice. Candida albicans is the usual offending organism, but herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus (CMV) have also been recognized as opportunistic esophageal…
Reflux Esophagitis PATHOGENESIS Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common inflammatory disease involving the esophagus, with a prevalence of 10% to 20% in the West. , It is a multifactorial process related to the frequency and duration of reflux…
Motility disorders of the esophagus are an important cause of esophageal symptoms, especially symptoms not readily explained by structural abnormalities. This chapter reviews esophageal anatomy and physiology before discussing fluoroscopic evaluation of esophageal motility and major esophageal motility disorders. Normal…
Upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract barium studies can be performed by single- or double-contrast technique. Single-contrast study relies primarily on barium filling and mucosal relief, whereas the double-contrast study is actually a biphasic technique that combines the advantages of single and…
Functional Abnormalities AGING Age-related change in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilages, and nerves that participate in pharyngeal function may alter swallowing dynamics, causing a swallowing disorder. The type of normal swallowing in young patients is found in only about 15%…
The pharynx is the crossroads of respiration, speech, and swallowing. During respiration, the pharynx is an active conduit for the passage of air from the nasopharynx to the laryngeal aditus. During speech, the pharynx functions as a resonating chamber, changing…
Physiology Precipitation of calcareous substances requires an alkaline medium and high local concentrations of ionic calcium. The term metastatic calcification refers to deposition of calcium salts in normal tissues secondary to hypercalcemia and an elevated pH. Although the stomach and…
Even with the widespread availability of cross-sectional imaging studies, abdominal radiography remains a common imaging test in modern radiology practice. Although computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound provide more information about acute abdominal conditions, abdominal radiographs (previously…