Transition from nutcracker esophagus to diffuse esophageal spasm.

The nutcracker esophagus is a newly defined subset of primary esophageal motility disorders that can be responsible for dysphagia and/or chest pain. Any possible relationship between this entity and diffuse esophageal spasm is poorly understood. Herein we report a case of nutcracker esophagus that showed a transition to classical diffuse esophageal spasm during 1 year follow-up. This transition supports the hypothesis that nutcracker esophagus and diffuse esophageal spasm may be related disorders.