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