Nutcracker esophagus, a rare presentation in the spectrum of esophageal motility disorders. Case report and literature review

Abstract

Esophageal motility disorders represent a spectrum of varied pathologies that present with distinct clinical manifestations and imaging findings. Nutcracker sophagus, named for its appearance on imaging studies, is a rare condition with a low incidence and unknown etiology. Its initial clinical manifestation is retrosternal pain of non-ardiac origin. Patients suffering from this disease are usually evaluated for conditions unrelated to the digestive system, until a correlation between food intake and swallowing inability becomes clear, which allows for a reorientation of the course within the diagnostic algorithm. There is no  definitive treatment for all cases; this is a matter of individual testing and trial. We present a case of nutcracker esophagus, with classical findings of the disease, on radiological, endoscopic, and manometric studies.