With Picmonic, facts become pictures. We've taken what the science shows - image mnemonics work - but we've boosted the effectiveness by building and associating memorable characters, interesting audio stories, and built-in quizzing.
DOWNLOAD PDFOne of the main causes of esophageal stricture formation is caustic ingestion. Patients may become symptomatic several weeks after ingestion.
GERD causes gastric acid to reflux into the esophagus. The chronic reflux causes repetitive damage to the lower esophagus and can lead to fibrosis and stricture formation.
Esophagitis can cause structural damage to the esophagus. Repair of this damage can lead to fibrosis with subsequent formation of esophageal strictures.
Schatzki rings are a distal narrowing of the esophagus and are one of the most common causes of esophageal food impaction. The impaction typically presents after ingestion of meats, earning them the nickname of "steakhouse syndrome."
Esophageal strictures prevent the passage of solid foods through the esophagus causing dysphagia. In obstructive esophageal disorders, dysphagia to solids, but not to liquids, is seen. Contrast this with motility disorders, such as diffuse esophageal spasm, in which dysphagia to both solids and liquids is observed.
Chronic dysphagia can lead to patients consuming less food. As a result, weight loss can occur in these patients.
The best initial test in evaluating a stricture is a barium swallow. The typical findings on barium swallow is a narrowing of the esophageal lumen.
Since a barium swallow is not reliable in differentiating malignant versus benign strictures, an endoscopy is typically conducted after a barium swallow to further investigate the stricture.
Esophageal dilation can be used to relieve the symptoms of a esophageal stricture. However, since esophageal strictures are typically the result of other disease processes, treating the underlying cause of the stricture is important as well.
Proton pump inhibitors can be used to reduce gastric acid secretion. This subsequently reduces the damage that acid reflux causes to the lower esophagus. Proton pump inhibitors are also used in the management of GERD.
Picmonic's rapid review multiple-choice quiz allows you to assess your knowledge.
*Average video play time: 2-3 minutes
Unforgettable characters with concise but impactful videos (2-4 min each)
Over 2,040,000 students use Picmonic’s picture mnemonics to improve knowledge, retention, and exam performance.
Picmonic for Medicine (MD/DO) covers information that is relevant to your entire Medicine (MD/DO) education. Whether you’re studying for your classes or getting ready to conquer the USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2 CK, COMLEX Level 1, or COMLEX Level 2, we’re here to help.
Research shows that students who use Picmonic see a 331% improvement in memory retention and a 50% improvement in test scores.