Esophageal diseases affect the esophagus. This muscular tube connects your child’s mouth and throat to their stomach. It is key to getting food and liquids safely into the stomach.

When something goes wrong in the esophagus, it can cause pain, trouble swallowing, vomiting or poor growth. Some esophageal diseases are mild and go away with changes in diet or medicine. Others are more serious. They may need long-term treatment or surgery.

Every child is different. Our team is here to figure out what’s going on and create a care plan that fits your child’s needs. We’ll learn what’s causing your child’s symptoms and how we can treat or manage them.

Some of the main health issues we treat related to the esophagus include:

• Eosinophilic esophagitis: White blood cells cause swelling in the esophagus. This can make it painful or hard to swallow.
• Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) and esophageal atresia: Congenital differences where the esophagus doesn’t form correctly. These often need surgery early in life.
• Esophageal achalasia: When the muscles in the esophagus don’t move food down into the stomach like they should. It can cause swallowing problems.
• Cyclic vomiting and chronic nausea syndrome: Repeated episodes of vomiting or long-lasting nausea. Sometimes linked to how the esophagus works.
• Helicobacter pylori: An infection that can cause pain, inflammation or open sores (ulcers) in the esophagus.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Serious long-term form of reflux. It can cause heartburn, pain, feeding problems or poor weight gain.
• RCPD (Retrograde Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction): Symptoms of this include being unable to burp, bloating or fullness, gurgling sounds in the chest or neck, an unusually high amount of flatuence and chest pain or discomfort.

At Children’s Wisconsin, our Eosinophilic Esophagitis Program is one of the nation’s leading programs for treating esophageal diseases in children. We’re experts in rare and complex conditions like TEF, esophageal atresia and esophageal achalasia.

We may coordinate your child’s care through the Aerodigestive Center. There, we bring together experts of all kinds, including those in:

• Pediatric surgery
• Gastroenterology
• Pulmonology
• Otolaryngology (ENT)
• Speech-language pathology
• Nutrition

This team works together to tailor a care plan for your child, all in one place. We also work with pain management, behavioral health and feeding therapy experts to provide complete care.

We are national leaders in esophageal care and actively involved in research. That means your child benefits from the latest innovations and most effective treatments.

Before Your Visit

We begin care with a full review of your child’s medical history and symptoms. Your child’s first visit may include:

• A full exam and consultation with members of our aerodigestive or GI motility teams
• Imaging tests, such as X-rays or a barium swallow, are used to look at the shape and movement of the esophagus
• A possible endoscopy to check for inflammation, narrowing or signs of disease
• Esophageal manometry to measure how well the esophagus muscles work (especially for achalasia)

During Treatment

Every child’s treatment journey is unique. Some children may need only medicine or dietary changes. Others need procedures or surgery.

No matter the treatment, we focus on comfort, safety and long-term success. Our team will support your family through each step of care. We’re there for you while your child is recovering from surgery or learning new feeding skills.

We also offer services like:

• Feeding therapy
• Speech-language support
• Behavioral and emotional health care
• Nutritional counseling and allergy support

Our experts work closely to reduce the number of visits your child needs to get care.

After Care and Long-Term Support

Some children with esophageal diseases recover fully after treatment. Others may need follow-up care to manage long-term effects. Our team will monitor your child’s health, growth and symptoms over time.

For kids with esophageal achalasia, most have lasting relief after surgery or procedures. Some may need feeding therapy or small diet changes as they adjust to eating again.

Children born with esophageal atresia or TEF may have long-term challenges.

These include:

• Trouble swallowing due to scarring or poor esophageal movement
• GERD, which is well managed with medicine
• Narrowed areas in the esophagus. These may need more procedures or surgery

We’re here to support your family for the long term, whether your child needs a few checkups or ongoing care. Our goal is always the same: helping your child feel well, eat comfortably and live a full, healthy life.