UH Experts Diagnose and Treat a Wide Range of Esophageal Dysmotility Disorders

Esophageal dysmotility may be caused by esophageal ulcers, strictures, inflammation or infection of the esophagus, or esophageal cancer. In some cases, there is no apparent diagnostic pattern or condition cause and this is called a nonspecific esophageal motility disorder or NSMD.

Some of the most common esophageal dysmotility conditions include:

• Achalasia
• Esophageal scleroderma
• Hypercontractile esophagus
• Jackhammer Esophagus

Digestive Health Specialists at UH Diagnose and Treat Esophageal Dysmotility

The most common test used to diagnose disorders of the esophagus, including dysmotility disorders, is esophageal manometry. This is a nonsurgical, minimally invasive endoscopic test in which the doctor inserts a long, flexible tube called an endoscope into your esophagus. This highly sensitive instrument can measure and evaluate the muscle strength and contractions in the esophagus and help your care team make an accurate diagnosis. Once the problem is diagnosed, an effective treatment plan will be devised. Treatments may include:

• Esophageal dilation. This is an endoscopic procedure done under sedation. It is most often used when the esophagus is severely narrowed due to inflammation and/or scarring. The doctor uses a dilating balloon or plastic dilators to stretch and widen the narrowed section of your esophagus so that swallowing is easier.
• Botulinum toxin injections (Botox)
• Per-Oral Endoscopic Myotomy or POEM

The POEM procedure only recently became available in the United States and there are very few centers with more than 10 years of experience in this advanced endoscopic technique. University Hospitals Digestive Health Institute is proud to offer patients this procedure. Jeffrey Marks, MD, general surgeon and Director of Surgical Endoscopy at UH Cleveland Medical Center further explains the procedure in this video.