Oesophagus

When we swallow, the food or drink is propelled down towards the stomach by a wave of muscle contraction. There is a ring of specialised muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus, at the entrance to the stomach and the level of the diaphragm, which acts as a valve, generally opening only to allow the food and drink into the stomach, but then closing tight to prevent such contents coming back up (refluxing).

There are a number of symptoms which may arise when these processes do not work perfectly (e.g. difficulty in, or pain on swallowing, heartburn, bad taste or acid in mouth or throat). These may arise from a number of conditions, including, muscular incoordination, spasm or weakness, inflammation, allergy or cancer. There is more detail regarding these ?below.

Depending on the nature of your symptoms, your doctor may recommend different investigations, which include barium swallow, endoscopy and specialised tests to assess muscle function and acid reflux (manometry, impedance and pH studies).