Achalasia Center - Aspen Hill, MD
Aspen Hill Gastroenterologist Doctors for AchalasiaType of Physician: Gastroenterologist What is a Gastroenterologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated. Specialty: Gastroenterology Common Name: GI Doctor Gastroenterologist Doctors in Aspen Hill * Montgomery Gastroenterology  Montgomery Gastroenterology  Montgomery Gastroenterology  Digestive Disease Clinic  Sanford Richman MD  MONTROSE PEDIATRIC GI  Steven A Burger MD  Gary M Roggin MD  Rockville Internal Medical Group  S Grace Woo MD LLC  Ajay Bakshi MD  Montgomery Internal Medicine Associates PA  T Jake Liang MD  Digestive Disease Branch  V P Chandar MD PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Marc Kozam MD  Arthur Schoengold MD  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Bernard A Heckman MD  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Jatinder Sekhon MD  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Boo K Kim MD  T Ann Tonnu MD  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Drs Stern & Gantt  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Neil L Julie MD  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Drs Stern & Gantt  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Washington Gastroenterology  Robynne K Chutkan MD  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Ghanshyam Gupta MD  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Kempanna Sudhakar MD  Cohen & Epstein MDs  Cohen & Epstein MDs  Ghulam Mohiuddin MD  Ghulam Mohiuddin MD  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Asghar Shaigany MD  Vincent Sutliff MD  James S Chesley Jr. MD  A O Moshyedi MD  A O Moshyedi MD  Mushtaq A Shah MD  Maximo Singer MD  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Megan Willard MD  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Wondwosen Abdi MD  Gastro Center of Maryland  Elizabeth R Myles MD  Healthcare of Greater Washington  Redjaee & Taleghani MDs  McCone Endoscopy Centers  John Bedeau MD & David Gorray MD  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Khurram Hanif MD  Mukul Khandelwal MD  Mukul Khandelwal MD  Digestive Disease Associates  GI Associates of Maryland Aspen Hill, MarylandUpcoming Local Events2012-06-09
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AchalasiaWhat is achalasia?Achalasia is a rare disease of the muscle of the esophagus (swallowing tube). The term achalasia means "failure to relax" and refers to the inability of the lower esophageal sphincter (a ring of muscle situated between the lower esophagus and the stomach) to open and let food pass into the stomach. As a result, patients with achalasia have difficulty in swallowing food.
How does the normal esophagus function?The esophagus has three functional parts. The uppermost part is the upper esophageal sphincter, a specialized ring of muscle that forms the upper end of the tubular esophagus and separates the esophagus from the throat. The upper sphincter remains closed most of the time to prevent food in the main part of the esophagus from backing up into the throat. The main part of the esophagus is referred to as the body of the esophagus, a long, muscular tube approximately 20 cm (8 in) in length. The third functional part of the esophagus is the lower esophageal sphincter, a ring of specialized esophageal muscle at the junction of the esophagus with the stomach. Like the upper sphincter, the lower sphincter remains closed most of the time to prevent food and acid from backing up into the body of the esophagus from the stomach. The upper sphincter relaxes with swallowing to allow food and saliva to pass from the throat into the esophageal body. The muscle in the upper esophagus just below the upper sphincter then contracts, squeezing food and saliva further down into the esophageal body. The ring-like contraction of the muscle progresses down the body of the esophagus, propelling the food and saliva towards the stomach. (The progression of the muscular contraction through the esophageal body is referred to as a peristaltic wave.). By the time the peristaltic wave reaches the lower sphincter, the sphincter has opened, and the food passes into the stoma... Recommended Reading Related to AchalasiaWhat is dysphagia?Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty swallowing, derived from the Latin and Greek words meaning difficulty eating. Mechanism of swallowing Swallowing is a complex action.
Other Related Achalasia ArticlesEmergency Contact for Aspen Hill
Nearby Aspen Hill Hospitals *Suburban Hospital Holy Cross Hospital National Institutes of Health Montgomery General Hospital Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Adventist HealthCare Walter Reed Army Medical Center Washington Adventist Hospital Psychiatric Institute of Washington Sibley Memorial Hospital Providence Hospital National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington DC VA Medical Center Washington Hospital Center The HSC Pediatric Center Laurel Regional Hospital Children's National Medical Center Georgetown University Hospital Howard University Hospital The George Washington University Hospital Virginia Hospital Center Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital Prince George's Hospital Center Doctors Community Hospital The Specialty Hospital of Washington Howard County General Hospital Dominion Hospital United Medical Center Saint Elizabeth's Hospital Reston Hospital Center Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute Inova Alexandria Hospital The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley Sheppard Pratt at Ellicott City Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Center Springfield Hospital Center Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Spring Grove Hospital Center Fort Washington Hospital North Spring Behavioral Healthcare Baltimore Washington Medical Center Northwest Hospital Southern Maryland Hospital Center Kernan Hospital Saint Agnes Hospital Graydon Manor Behavioral Health Bon Secours Baltimore Health System Harbor Hospital Center Baltimore VA Medical Center University of Maryland Medical Center University Specialty Hospital Maryland General Hospital Mercy Medical Center Frederick Memorial Hospital Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center & Hospital Sinai Hospital of Baltimore Prince William Hospital Anne Arundel Medical Center Mt Washington Pediatric Hospital Kennedy Krieger Institute Johns Hopkins Hospital Union Memorial Hospital Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Potomac Hospital Sheppard Pratt Health System Greater Baltimore Medical Center Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland St Joseph Medical Center Carroll Hospital Center Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Achalasia by Our Doctors
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Related Diseases & Conditions
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Esophageal Cancer
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Vitiligo
- Vitiligo is a condition in which the skin turns white due to the loss of pigment from the melanocytes, cells that produce the pigment melanin that gives the skin color.
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Eosinophilic Esophagitis
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Dysphagia
- Dysphagia or difficulty in swallowing, swallowing problems. Dysphagia is due to problems in nerve or muscle control. It is common, for example, after a stroke. Dysphagia compromises nutrition and hydration and may lead to aspiration pneumonia and dehydration.
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Esophagitis
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The Digestive System
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Esophageal Cancer
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