Endosonographic Appearance of the Esophagus in Achalasia

In 16 patients suspected of having achalasia, endosonography was performed. Fifteen of them showed a normal ultrasonic structure of the wall of the gastro-esophageal junction, with no sign of hypertrophy of the smooth muscle layer. In the remaining case endoscopic ultrasonography was able to detect an intramural tumor, as evidenced by the inhomogeneous ultrasonic structure of the esophageal wall