Esophageal foreign body obstruction. What causes esophageal obstruction?
Esophagus Obstructions The esophagus is a muscular tube that propels food from the bottom of the throat to the stomach. It is ten inches in length and originates in the neck. Then it passes through the entire length of the chest until the lower end joins the stomach within the abdomen. The esophagus serves no digestive function and acts solely as a pathway for swallowed food. Diseases of the esophagus produce symptoms because they block it. Therefore the symptom they have in common is "difficulty in swallowing" or the "food gets stuck." Adults with disease in this area may also complain of upper abdominal burning and discomfort. Diagnostic problems for this organ are far less complicated than in other areas of the gut. The entire tube can be examined by direct inspection and parts of diseased tissue removed for diagnosis. Techniques of esophagus surgery, in all its segments, are well developed; some of the procedures for reconstructing the swallowing mechanism a...