Airway obstruction in a child with esophageal achalasia.

A 13-year-old Japanese boy who had respiratory symptoms and had been treated as a case of chronic bronchitis was found by us to have esophageal achalasia. He had complained of cough for one year and a half, and pulmonary function studies showed severe airway obstruction. The chest radiogram showed the trachea compressed by the dilated esophagus. After operation, the symptoms disappeared and marked improvement was found in the flow-volume curve. Esophageal achalasia should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of airway obstructive disease.