Achalasia Center - Potomac, MD
Potomac 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 Potomac * Rockville Internal Medical Group  S Grace Woo MD LLC  Gary M Roggin MD  Ghanshyam Gupta MD  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Arthur Schoengold MD  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Drs Stern & Gantt  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Drs Stern & Gantt  Neil L Julie MD  MONTROSE PEDIATRIC GI  Jatinder Sekhon MD  Sanford Richman MD  Ajay Bakshi MD  Digestive Disease Clinic  Boo K Kim MD  T Ann Tonnu MD  T Jake Liang MD  Digestive Disease Branch  Washington Gastroenterology  Robynne K Chutkan MD  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Washington Gastroenterology  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Montgomery Gastroenterology  Montgomery Gastroenterology  Montgomery Gastroenterology  Steven A Burger MD  V P Chandar MD PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Bernard A Heckman MD  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Montgomery Internal Medicine Associates PA  Marc Kozam MD  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Kempanna Sudhakar MD  Ghulam Mohiuddin MD  Ghulam Mohiuddin MD  Asghar Shaigany MD  Cohen & Epstein MDs  Cohen & Epstein MDs  James S Chesley Jr. MD  Healthcare of Greater Washington  McCone Endoscopy Centers  A O Moshyedi MD  A O Moshyedi MD  Mushtaq A Shah MD  Maximo Singer MD  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Redjaee & Taleghani MDs  GI Associates of Maryland  GI Associates of Maryland  Vincent Sutliff MD  Aly Sabet MD  Elizabeth R Myles 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  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  Wondwosen Abdi MD  Sam Tellawi MD  Chandrakant K Bhatia MD  Gastro Center of Maryland Potomac, 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 Potomac
Nearby Potomac Hospitals *Suburban Hospital Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Adventist HealthCare National Institutes of Health Sibley Memorial Hospital Psychiatric Institute of Washington Reston Hospital Center Holy Cross Hospital Virginia Hospital Center Georgetown University Hospital Walter Reed Army Medical Center Dominion Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute Washington Adventist Hospital The George Washington University Hospital National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington Hospital Center Howard University Hospital Washington DC VA Medical Center Children's National Medical Center Montgomery General Hospital Providence Hospital Inova Fair Oaks Hospital The HSC Pediatric Center The Specialty Hospital of Washington Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Center Saint Elizabeth's Hospital Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital Prince George's Hospital Center The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley United Medical Center Laurel Regional Hospital Doctors Community Hospital North Spring Behavioral Healthcare Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Graydon Manor Behavioral Health Howard County General Hospital Prince William Hospital Fort Washington Hospital Southern Maryland Hospital Center Potomac Hospital Sheppard Pratt at Ellicott City Springfield Hospital Center Frederick Memorial Hospital Spring Grove Hospital Center Baltimore Washington Medical Center Northwest Hospital Kernan Hospital Saint Agnes Hospital 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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Dysphagia
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