Esophageal Diseases

Treating Your Illness, Relieving Your Discomfort

An integrated approach to care

Diseases and disorders affecting the esophagus can range from common, treatable conditions like heartburn to more serious issues such as esophageal cancer. At NewYork-Presbyterian, we unite the extraordinary expertise of gastroenterologists, surgeons, and interventional endoscopists to diagnose and treat all types of esophageal disorders, using therapies based on the latest advances.

What we treat

At NewYork-Presbyterian, we care for people with all types of esophageal disorders, from the most common to the rarest, including

• Achalasia and other swallowing disorders
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Barrett’s esophagus
• Eosinophilic esophagitis
• Esophageal cancer

Signs & symptoms of esophageal diseases

The symptoms caused by esophageal diseases can include:

• Heartburn
• Regurgitation of food
• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
• Chest pain
• Throat discomfort
• Hoarseness or voice disturbances
• Aspiration of food
• Chronic cough
• Unexplained weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting

Diagnostic techniques

The diagnosis of esophageal disorders requires specialized testing, equipment, technicians, and doctors to interpret the findings and determine the cause of your symptoms. NewYork-Presbyterian has dedicated motility labs and advanced approaches to assess the appearance and function of your esophagus. These approaches include ambulatory pH testing, impedance testing, and high-resolution esophageal manometry

Our approach to care

Our esophageal care specialists include gastroenterologists, surgeons, radiologists, allergists, nurses, speech and swallowing therapists, registered dietitians, integrative health specialists and others with the skills and understanding to provide the highest quality care to people with esophageal disorders. When you come to us for your care, we have all the experts you need. As leaders in their fields, our physicians and surgeons are dedicated to using cutting-edge endoscopic, diagnostic, and therapeutic technologies to achieve the best possible outcome for each of our patients.

Treatment of esophageal diseases

Your doctors will assess your disease and overall health to determine which treatment is most appropriate for you. Some of these treatments include:

Medical therapies. We use medications to treat a variety of esophageal diseases.

Nutritional guidance. Some esophageal disorders, such as GERD and eosinophilic esophagitis, may improve with changes in diet. Your team includes registered dietitians who can guide you regarding the best foods for you, as well as which foods to avoid.

Minimally invasive esophageal surgery. When lifestyle changes and medications are not effective enough to treat an esophageal disorder, our skilled surgeons use minimally invasive approaches whenever possible to treat esophageal cancer (including removal of the esophagus, or esophagectomy), achalasia, and GERD — operating through smaller incisions, and sometimes robotically. The result: less pain after surgery and a faster return to your normal activities.

Interventional endoscopic techniques. Many esophageal disorders can be diagnosed and treated through endoscopy — the insertion of a flexible tube into the esophagus with a camera at its tip. NewYork-Presbyterian offers advanced interventional endoscopic techniques not widely available elsewhere, enabling our doctors to treat people with disorders such as GERD, achalasia, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal cancer with technologies such as:

• Endoscopic therapy for GERD
• Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for achalasia
• Radiofrequency ablation (destroying diseased tissue with intense heat) for Barrett’s esophagus or early cancer
• Cryotherapy for Barrett’s esophagus or cancer (treating diseased tissue with intense cold)
• Endoscopic mucosal resection (removal of abnormal esophageal tissue through a scope)

Multidisciplinary cancer treatment. Our esophageal cancer care teams include specialists from surgery, medical and radiation oncology, and interventional endoscopy who have many years of experience and provide treatments based on the latest scientific studies.

Investigational therapies. Clinical trials of promising new treatments are also available, providing access to innovative therapies that may not be available in many other hospitals.

Why choose us

Esophageal diseases may be complex and require treatment from specialists who are well versed in the latest research-based therapies. Our teams include physicians and surgeons who are leaders in their field and treat patients from all over the world. If you need health care from a doctor outside of our teams, we can connect you with the specialists you need to provide that care, too — all in one medical center. Make an appointment to learn more about what we can offer you.