Esophageal motility disorders involve dysfunction of the esophagus that causes symptoms such as dysphagia, heartburn, and chest pain.
Primary esophageal causes of dysmotility include:
Systemic disorders causing esophageal dysmotility include:
Many generalized disorders of neuromuscular function (eg, myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson disease) can affect swallowing but are not typically classified as esophageal motility disorders because they largely cause oropharyngeal dysphagia and not esophageal dysphagia.
Symptoms of esophageal motility disorders depend on the cause but typically include difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), chest pain, and/or heartburn.
Evaluation of esophageal motility disorders depends on the patient's presenting symptoms and may include upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, barium swallow, high resolution esophageal manometry, acid- and reflux-related tests, and/or impedance planimetry.
Treatment depends on the cause.
