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Updated: May 28, 2026

Robotic Myotomy and Partial Fundoplication for Achalasia
Published on: August 11, 2023
Acute airway obstruction in a patient with achalasia
Shin'ichi Miyamoto1, Yoshitaka Konda, Masashi Matsui
1Department of Gastroenterogy and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan. shmiyamo@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Megaesophagus resulting from achalasia is a rare but serious cause of acute airway obstruction. We treated achalasia in a 52-year-old woman with acute respiratory distress and stridor. Chest X-ray and endoscopy showed a marked dilatation of the cervical esophagus with a large amount of undigested food. Emergency suction of the food through a nasogastric tube led to decompression of the esophagus and the immediate relief of respiratory symptoms. These findings suggest a dysfunction of the upper esophageal sphincter as a possible mechanism. As this exceptional complication of achalasia is fatal, a wider appreciation is required.
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