Reasons and Diagnostic Tests for Esophagus Surgery

Reasons for the surgery of the esophagus include:

• Cancer of the esophagus
• Heartburn, or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• Problems with digestion
• Barrett's esophagus
• Narrowing of the esophagus or tightening of the muscles around the esophagus that makes it hard to swallow
• Peptic ulcer

Tests for conditions of the esophagus are:

• Upper GI (gastrointestinal) series, a group of x-rays using a barium swallow
• X-ray with barium swallow, where the patient drinks a liquid that coats the inside of the esophagus so that it shows up better on an X-ray.
• Endoscopy, where a doctor passes a thin tube with lights and a camera or other device to see the esophagus.
• Biopsy, when a doctor takes a little bit of tissue to test for cancer or other conditions. If a biopsy is needed, it's done during an endoscopy.
• CT scan, or computed tomography scan, which is a type of X-ray

 

 

More About Esophageal Cancer
Introduction	Surgical Management