[Motility disorders of the esophagus].

The paper describes the physiology of swallowing, the methods for the assessment of esophageal motility, and the motility disorders of the tubular part and the lower sphincter of the esophagus, except for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Primary esophageal motility disorders are achalasia (incomplete relaxation of the lower sphincter in response to swallowing), diffuse esophagospasm (simultaneous repetitive contractions), and the nutcracker esophagus (propulsive peristalsis with abnormally high amplitude). Besides, there are non-specific as yet unclassified contraction abnormalities. Since hypermotile contraction abnormalities can mimic chest pain of cardiac origin, differential diagnosis of anginal chest pain should include esophageal motility disorders. Contraction abnormalities of the esophagus may occur in diffuse scleroderma, after therapeutic radiation of the mediastinum, and possibly after sclerotherapy of esophageal varices.