Mega Esophagus – An Atypical Presentation

Abstract

Megaesophagus, the most severe type of achalasia cardia is a rare disease. More than 90% of patients with Megaesophagus have dysphagia and regurgitation of food. We report a 44 year old smoker who was referred to us for an abnormal chest radiograph. The chest radiograph was taken during a routine health check up. Computed tomography and barium swallow revealed a grossly dilated and tortuous esophagus. Despite having severe disease this patient was surprisingly asymptomatic. This case confirms that symptoms do not always correlate with the severity of disease in achalasia cardia.