Can your esophagus shrink

Swallowing is an action that your body usually performs easily and without you giving it much thought. If you have an esophageal stricture, however, you may have difficulty swallowing and feel like food is getting stuck in the base of your throat or in your chest. You may also feel a fullness or pressure in your chest.

An esophageal stricture is an abnormal narrowing of the esophagus, a tube-like structure that connects your throat to the stomach. When everything works as it should, the esophagus allows food, drink, and saliva to smoothly move from your mouth to your stomach.

It also prevents foods or liquids from backing up from your stomach into your esophagus or mouth. The most common cause of damage is gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD , also known as acid reflux.

The LES is the muscle between the esophagus and the stomach. It normally opens for a short amount of time when you swallow. This creates a burning sensation in the lower chest known as heartburn.

Frequent exposure to harmful stomach acid can cause scar tissue to form. Eventually, the esophagus will narrow. Dense and solid foods can lodge in the esophagus when it narrows. This may cause choking or difficulty breathing. Problems swallowing can prevent you from getting enough food and liquid. This may lead to dehydration and malnutrition.

This could result in aspiration pneumonia, an infection caused by bacteria growing around the food, vomit or fluids in the lung. Learn more: Aspiration pneumonia: Symptoms, causes, and treatment ».

A barium swallow test includes a series of X-rays of the esophagus. These X-rays are taken after you drink a special liquid containing the element barium. This contrast material temporarily coats the lining of your esophagus. This allows your doctor to see your throat more clearly. In an upper gastrointestinal upper GI endoscopy, your doctor will place an endoscope through your mouth and into your esophagus. An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube with an attached camera.

It allows your doctor to examine your esophagus and upper intestinal tract. Learn more: Endoscopy ». Your doctor can use forceps tongs and scissors attached to the endoscope to remove tissue from the esophagus.

This test measures the amount of stomach acid that enters your esophagus. Your doctor will insert a tube through your mouth into your esophagus. The tube is usually left in your esophagus for at least 24 hours. Esophageal dilation, or stretching, is the preferred option in most cases. Accessed Sept. Ferri FF. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Elsevier; Lembo AJ. Oropharyngeal dysphagia: Clinical features, diagnosis, and management.

American College of Gastroenterology. Panebianco M. Dysphagia in neurological diseases: A literature review. Neurological Sciences. Aging and swallowing. Triggs J, et al. Recent advances in dysphagia management [version 1; peer review: 3 approved]. This inflammation leads to scarring after repeated injury and healing. Eventually, scar tissue is formed and a benign stricture develops in the form of a concentric ring that narrows the opening of the esophagus.

A hiatal hernia is often present in association with reflux. When diagnosed, it can be easily treated by the passage of a dilator through the area to break open the scar tissue and relieve the narrowed area.

Benign esophageal strictures may be congenital, such as a membranous diaphragm — or web — that can occur anywhere in the esophagus, but frequently occurs in the upper portion. This is also treated by dilation, either through an endoscope or by the passage of Bougie dilator.

Other conditions leading to benign strictures include corrosive injury to the esophagus from swallowing a toxic substance i. In addition, there are other conditions that could cause dysphagia difficulty swallowing , even though no stricture is present. In that case, various neurological conditions, vascular abnormalities, diverticulums, spastic motility disorders, or skeletal muscle disorders like muscular dystrophy and myasthenia gravis are possibilities. Malignant conditions may also cause a stricture or narrowing of the esophagus.

There are about 11, new cases of cancer of the esophagus diagnosed yearly.