Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Brief Clinical Note

A case of esophageal achalasia followed by Parkinson's disease

Maki Mitani, M.D., Kunihiko Kawamoto, M.D., Itaru Funakawa, M.D. and Kenji Jinnai, M.D.

Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hyogo-Chuo National Hospital

In 1992, a 63 year-old woman complained of dysphagia and chest pain, and was diagnosed with esophageal achalasia. Three years later, she developed resting tremor, cog-wheel rigidity, and retro-pulsion, and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and given appropriate medication. Several years later, intractable vomitting and aspiration pneumonia developed, and the lower esophageal sphincter was dilated using a pneumatic balloon dilator under gastroscopic guidance in 2004. That procedure improved her symptoms and the esophageal dilation was visualized on chest CT images.
Herein, we report this rare case of esophageal achalasia followed by Parkinson's disease and discuss the relationship between the two diseases.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 45: 607|609, 2005)
key words: esophageal achalasia, Parkinson's disease, balloon dilatation

(Received: 18-Nov-04)