Compression of the oesophagus by the aorta.

Compression of the lower dorsal oesophagus by the aorta in elderly women sufficient to cause dysphagia has not received the attention it deserves. It is not a rare condition. The reasons for its neglect are probably two-fold: (1) the degree of dysphagia is often only slight or moderate, and (2) misdiagnosis. Occasionally, the dysphagia is serious and a threat to life. The clinical and radiological features are here described and a rational operative treatment for the severe cases is proposed. Such operative intervention does not seem to have been described previously.