Lower Esophageal Ring

Abstract

DESPITE all the data that have accumulated in the 15 years since the clinical recognition of a sharply defined, ringlike narrowing in the lower esophagus,1 , 2 there is still little agreement about its origin, nature and proper treatment. Part of the controversy arises from the fact that several different disorders have been grouped under the term "lower esophageal ring." For a long time a symptom-producing lower esophageal ring was not widely recognized, but in recent years many reports from all over the world have testified to its frequency.3 4 5 6 7 8 Because of the clinical importance of the lesion, it is the purpose of . . .