Esophageal Ring
Esophageal ring or Schatzki’s
ring is a thin band of tissue that encircles the lining
of the esophagus. Sometimes, this band of tissue is thicker and
more fibrous, but narrower than a ring – here, it is called
an esophageal web.
Symptoms of Esophageal Rings?
The symptoms of esophageal rings and webs are:
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Food becoming dislodged in the throat
Note that these symptoms should be occasional in nature –
if they occur every day, then it is more likely that they are
caused by esophageal stricture instead.
Diagnosis
Tests to diagnose esophageal rings and webs are:
- Meat impaction test
A piece of meat is swallowed and monitored by barium swallow
test or endoscopy. The lodged meat is then dislodged by an endoscope.
- Iron-deficiency anemia
A cause for esophageal webs.
- Spooning of the fingernails and toenails
Here, the nails appear sunken.
Cause of Esophageal Ring
Esophageal webs are caused by:
- Iron-deficiency anemia
- Graft-vs-host disease
This is a disease resulting from bone marrow transplantation
- Postcricoid cancer
A rare form of cancer located in the upper portion of the esophagus.
Esophageal Ring Treatment
Esophageal rings and webs usually respond well to the following
treatments:
- Bougie
A bougie (“boojie”) is a tapered device made of
rubber that is used to flatten the tissue of the esophagus and
to enlarge its opening.
- Pneumatic dilator
A balloon is placed on the narrowed portion of the esophagus
and then inflated.
- Guided wire dilator
During endoscopy, a tapered device is threaded through the esophagus
with the aid of guided wire.
- Iron replacement
If the condition is caused by anemia brought on by iron-deficiency,
then treating the underlying problem with iron-replacement therapy
would help alleviate the symptoms and reduce the chance of developing
postcricoid cancer.
- Changing eating habit
In some cases, the occasional difficulty in swallowing associated
with lower esophageal rings can be prevented simply by chewing
the food more or eating smaller pieces.
