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