gastrointestinal disorders
Diffuse Esophageal Spasm
Introduction
Symptomatic diffuse esophageal spasm is part of a spectrum of motility disorders characterized variously by nonpropulsive contractions and hyperdynamic contractions, sometimes in conjunction with elevated lower esophageal sphincter pressure. Symptoms are Chest Pain and sometimes (See also Overview of Esophageal and Swallowing Disorders .) Abnormalities in esophageal motility correlate poorly with patient symptoms; similar abnormalities may cause different or no symptoms in different people. Furthermore, neither symptoms nor abnormal contractions are definitively associated with histopathologic abnormalities of the esophagus. 