How to Say It: Ee-sof-uh-gee-uhl
Esophageal stricture is a narrowing of the tube (esophagus) that goes from the mouth to the stomach. This makes it hard to take in food.
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The main cause is scar tissue. This may happen because of:
Things that may raise the risk of this problem are:
Problems may be:
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. A physical may be done.
Other tests may be:
The goal of treatment is to ease symptoms and stop them from coming back. Options are:
Surgery may be needed when other methods do not help.
To lower the risk of this problem:
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
https://www.asge.org
Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
https://familydoctor.org
Canadian Association of Gastroenterology
https://www.cag-acg.org
The College of Family Physicians of Canada
https://www.cfpc.ca
Caustic esophageal stricture. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/caustic-esophageal-stricture. Accessed October 21, 2020.
Esophageal stricture. Cedars-Sinai website. Available at: https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Esophageal-Stricture.aspx. Accessed October 21, 2020.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/gastroesophageal-reflux-disease-gerd. Accessed October 21, 2020.
Kellerman R, Kintanar T. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Prim Care. 2017 Dec;44(4):561-573.
Understanding esophageal dilation. American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy website. Available at: https://www.asge.org/home/for-patients/patient-information/understanding-eso-dilation-updated. Accessed October 21, 2020.
Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Daniel A. Ostrovsky, MD Last Updated: 10/21/2020
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