Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic esophageal illness that causes esophageal remodeling. Dysphagia is a frequent symptom caused by the inflammatory process or remodeling. Because of the difficulty in recognizing modest constriction in individuals with EoE, identifying people who may benefit from dilatation can be difficult. In this paper, researchers discuss the advantages of a pill esophagram in detecting esophageal constriction in EoE. To measure symptoms, they identified a group of children with EoE and dysphagia who had a barium esophagram with a barium-coated tablet.
Three patients showed normal fluoroscopic esophagrams but pill retention lasted more than 5 minutes. Following esophagoscopy and esophageal dilatation, mucosal rent was discovered. In children with EoE and dysphagia, subtle esophageal constriction may not be seen with a barium esophagram alone. The use of the barium pill in symptomatic individuals can help identify people who would benefit from esophageal dilatation.
