Main description:

The esophagus, ostensibly a simple tubular structure whose functional role often is minimized and even ignored, is, in re- ality, a highly complex viscus. The problems associated with disorders of the esophagus are not only related to the usual en- tities which may be anticipated in any portion of the gastroin- testinal tract, but include in a major fashion the functional mechanisms indigenous to the pharyngoesophageal and eso- phagogastric junctions. A number of disorders, representative of the classical cate- gories of disease, affect the esophagus. These include the various congenital and developmental abnormalities, of which some are complex. Trauma to the esophagus is not un- common, and infective and inflammatory lesions of this struc- ture are encountered relatively frequently. The different types of neoplasms of the esophagus are relatively few in number, but are commonly observed-the most serious, from the point of view of survival, being carcinoma. The collagen disorders, particularly scleroderma and dermatomyositis, affect the eso- phagus all too often. A miscellaneous group includes such en- tities as achalasia and varices, occurring in varying degrees of frequency.
Functional abnormalities of the oropharynx, hypo- pharynx and esophagus, particularly relating to swallowing and the frequently encountered instances of spasm of the pharyngoesophageal and the esophagogastric junctions, consti- tute an important and common source of difficulty in the pa- tient population at large. In this regard, anatomic, radiologic, and physiologic studies of these structures have provided through the years vital data which has proved of considerable VII ...

Contents:

1 Technique.- General Remarks.- Contrast Media.- Variation in Technique Because of Age.- Types of Examinations.- Fluoroscopic and Filming Technique.- Special Examinations.- Special Maneuvers and Positions.- Special Tests.- Special Studies.- 2 Normal Anatomicoroentgen Studies and Correlations Gross Anatomy.- Gross Anatomy.- Mediastinum and Diaphragm.- Radiologic Anatomy.- Checklist of Observations During and Following a Barium Swallow.- 3 Congenital Anomalies and Developmental Abnormalities.- Normal Embryology.- Congenital Anomalies or Malformations.- Cardiovascular Anomalies.- Other Miscellaneous Vascular Anomalies.- Aberrant Vessels.- Congenital Heart Disease.- Abnormalities of Position.- Oral and Pharyngeal Dysphagia in Infancy.- Atresia and Agenesis of the Esophagus.- Developmental Disorders.- Related Congenital Systemic Disorders of the Esophagus.- 4 Mechanical Factors Affecting the Contour of the Orohypopharynx and Esophagus.- External Factors.- Internal Factors.- 5 Functional, Involutional, and Degenerative Disorders.- Functional Changes.- Involutional Changes.- Degenerative Changes.- 6 Organic Lesions (Systemic).- Neuromuscular Disorders.- Inflammatory Lesions.- Granulomatous Lesions.- Collagen Diseases.- Deficiency Disorders.- Leukemia and Lymphomas of the Esophagus.- Amyloidosis.- Esophageal Varices.- Miscellaneous Conditions.- 7 Organic Lesions (Local).- Esophagitis.- Esophageal Ulcers.- Benign Strictures.- Diverticula.- Primary Neoplasms of the Hypopharynx and Esophagus.- 8 Roentgenologic Appearance Following Surgery and Radiation Therapy.- Radiologic Changes Following Surgery.- Radiologic Changes Following Radiotherapy for Neoplasms.- Concluding Remarks.- References.