The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 45, 327-329, Copyright © 1988 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
An unusually intractable Schatzki ring
L Molins, WS Payne, AJ Cameron and RL MacCarty
Section of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
Most patients with Schatzki's ring have dysphagia that can be relieved by
esophageal dilation. We report an unusual case in which dysphagia caused by
a Schatzki ring could not be managed conservatively. The obstructing ring
was excised through a gastrotomy approached by a left- sided thoracotomy.
An antireflux procedure was done after elimination of the ring. Five years
later, the patient remained symptom free.