Achalasia Center - The Woodlands, TX
The Woodlands 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 The Woodlands * Digestive & Liver Disease Consultants PA  Digestive & Liver Disease Consultants PA  Digestive & Liver Disease Consultants PA  Regional Digestive Consultants  Center for Digestive Disease  Center for Digestive Disease  Ali T Dural MD  Greater Houston Digestive Disease Consultant  Greater Houston Digestive Disease Consultant  Greater Houston Digestive Disease Consultant  Greater Houston Digestive Disease Consultant  Greater Houston Digestive Disease Consultant  Digestive & Liver Disease Consultants PA  Digestive & Liver Disease Consultants PA  Barry D Winston MD  Integral Gastroenterology Center  Gulf Coast Center for Neurological Disorders  Hari P Pokala MD  Stephen Kelly MD  Houston Digestive Diseases  Ahmad R Pacha MD  Sunil Reddy MD  Stephen Kelly MD  Texas Gastroenterology  Texas Gastroenterology  Gastroenterology Diagnostic Clinic  Sohaib A Faruqi MD  Ayub Hussain MD  Bharat Pothuri MD  George Nunez Jr. MD  Parendra Banker MD  Digestive Disease Consultants  Steven Ugbarugba MD  Gastronintestinal Disease Center  Vijaya Kaila MD  Houston Digestive Diseases Consultants  Michael W Stavinoha MD  Houston Digestive Diseases Consultants  Digestive & Liver Specialists  Digestive & Liver Specialists  Ronald M Rance MD  Howard M Sussman MD  Mohammad E Zafarnia MD  Pedro M Arguello MD  Digestive & Liver Specialists  Houston Gastroenterology Associates  Houston Gastroenterology Associates  Digestive & Liver Specialists  David T Nemoto MD  Gowrappala S Ramesh MD  Digestive & Liver Specialists  Alfredo L Viteri MD PA  Memorial Gastroenterology Associates  Vikram S Jayanty MD  Leroy Odom MD  M Radwan Al-Sabbagh MD  Narayana P Narayana MD  Garland W Gossett MD  Garland W Gossett MD  Hillcroft Medical Clinic  Midtown Physicians  Medical Clinic of Houston LLP  Medical Clinic of Houston LLP  Nisar Ahmed MD  Diagnostic Clinic of Houston  Alfred J Hernandez Jr. MD  Diagnostic Clinic of Houston  Antonio Bernal MD  John B Clemmons Jr. MD  Liver Associates of Texas PA  Nizar Charafeddine MD  Liver Associates of Texas PA  Marc L Kudisch MD PA  Houston Digestive Diseases Consultants  Alberto O Barroso MD  Margaret Bridges MD  Stuart M Dobbs MD  Atilla Ertan MD  Houston Digestive Diseases Consultants  Ray A Verm MD  Madhukar Kaw MD  Nasrullah Manji MD  John C McKechnie MD  Frank Meriano MD  Ian L Sachs MD  Ray A Verm MD  Peter J Schwarz MD  Stuart M Dobbs MD  Ray A Verm MD  Karen L Woods MD  Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology  Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology  Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology  Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology  Brian Douglas MD  Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology  Baylor College of Medicine Gastroenterology  Digestive Associates of Houston  F Lyone Hochman MD  Brian Kaplan MD The Woodlands, TexasUpcoming Local Events2012-05-19
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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 The Woodlands
Nearby The Woodlands Hospitals *Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital Nexus Specialty Hospital Woodlands Campus St Luke's Community Medical Center The Woodlands Nexus Specialty Hospital Shenandoah Campus HEALTHSOUTH North Houston Rehabilitation Hospital Conroe Regional Medical Center Select Specialty Hospital Conroe HEALTHSOUTH Hospital of Houston Triumph Hospital Northwest Cypress Creek Hospital IntraCare North Hospital TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital Houston Northwest Medical Center Tomball Regional Medical Center Triumph Hospital Tomball Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Memorial Hermann Northeast HEALTHSOUTH Humble Rehabilitation Hospital Kingwood Medical Center Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital Kindred Hospital Northwest North Cypress Medical Center Triumph Hospital North Houston Doctors Hospital Parkway Renaissance Hospital Houston Doctors Hospital of Tidwell Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital Select Specialty Hospital Houston Heights Spring Branch Medical Center Lyndon B Johnson General Hospital Cleveland Regional Medical Center Select Specialty Hospital Houston West Twelve Oaks Medical Center River Oaks Campus Triumph Hospital Town & Country Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital Dubuis Hospital of Houston Triumph Hospital Houston Central St Joseph Medical Center Riverside General Hospital HEALTHSOUTH Hospital for Specialized Surgery Healthbridge Children's Hospital of Houston Park Plaza Hospital and Medical Center Plaza Specialty Hospital West Houston Medical Center CHRISTUS St Catherine Hospital Memorial Hermann Hospital Kindred Hospital Houston Select Specialty Hospital Houston Medical Center Ben Taub General Hospital The Methodist Hospital Cornerstone Hospital of Houston at Bellaire Texas Children's Hospital University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center West Oaks Hospital Memorial Herman The Institute for Rehabilitation & Research Shriners Hospitals for Children St Luke's Episcopal Hospital Harris Quentin Mease Community Hospital Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Texas Orthopedic Hospital Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital Riveroaks Medical Center Sharpstown Campus University General Hospital The Woman's Hospital of Texas IntraCare Medical Center Hospital Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital Triumph Hospital East Houston East Houston Regional Medical Center Harris County Hospital District Texas Specialty Hospital Kindred Hospital Bay Area 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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