Esophageal food bolus obstruction
An esophageal food bolus obstruction is a medical emergency caused by the obstruction of the esophagus by an ingested foreign body.
| Esophageal food bolus obstruction | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Steakhouse syndrome |
| Endoscopic image of patient with esophageal food bolus obstruction due to a grape in the setting of eosinophilic esophagitis | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine, general surgery, gastroenterology |
It is usually associated with diseases that may narrow the lumen of the esophagus, such as eosinophilic esophagitis, Schatzki rings, peptic strictures, webs, or cancers of the esophagus; rarely it can be seen in disorders of the movement of the esophagus, such as nutcracker esophagus.
While some esophageal food boli can pass by themselves or with the assistance of medications, some require the use of endoscopy to push the obstructing food into the stomach, or remove it from the esophagus. The use of glucagon, while common, has not been found to be useful.
Eponymous names include 'the steakhouse syndrome' and 'backyard barbeque syndrome'.