Esophageal Achalasia: An Uncommon Complication during Pregnancy Treated Conservatively

Copyright © 2013 Dimitrios Spiliopoulos et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A 38-year-old Caucasian woman, gravida 3 para 2, was admitted at 29 weeks of gestation because of vomiting, dysphagia for solids and liquids, and loss of weight. An enlargement of the anterior le neck region was noted on the palpation of the thyroid gland. An MRI of the neck showed a marked esophageal dilatation with the presence of food remnants along its length and the displacement of the trachea to the right. e �ndings of the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and manometry were suggestive of esophageal achalasia. Conservative management with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) through a peripheral line proved to be successful. A healthy male baby was born by a cesarean section at 37 weeks. e patient underwent laparoscopic esophageal myotomy and fundoplication seven days postpartum. 1