[Secondary achalasia caused by diffuse infiltrating cardial cancer]

Malignant tumors, especially gastric adenocarcinomas infiltrating into the submucosa of the esophagus, can result in a clinical syndrome termed secondary or pseudo-achalasia that mimicks idiopathic primary achalasia. History, symptoms, radiology, esophago-gastroscopy with biopsy, and esophageal manometry do not discriminate secondary from primary achalasia at initial evaluation. The difficulty in establishing the diagnosis is demonstrated on the case of a 57-year old man presenting with dysphagia, vomiting, and weight loss. Fluoroscopically, the esophagus was moderately dilated and bird-beaked. The patient underwent two gastroesophagoscopies, in the second of which the endoscope could not be passed through the esophagogastric junction. Esophageal manometry revealed an only partial relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter upon swallowing and nonpropulsive, repetitive contractions in the esophageal body, compatible with the diagnosis "vigorous achalasia". After two mechanic dilatations, a myotomy of the sphincter seemed indicated. At operation, a cardiac carcinoma infiltrating submucosally into the esophagus was found. The recognition of secondary achalasia is difficult, and signs such as older age, brief duration of symptoms, marked weight loss and the presence of vigorous achalasia, relatively rare in primary achalasia, are unspecific. Hence, in all instances in which secondary achalasia cannot be ruled out, it seems advisable to perform an explorative laparotomy with eventual sphinctermyotomy as primary therapeutic intervention instead of a mechanic dilatation, which potentially further obscures the underlying disease. To enable the recognition of undetected secondary achalasia, all patients with achalasia should be followed up thoroughly.