Cricopharyngeal achalasia - A cause of major dysphagia in a newborn. A case report

Cricopharyngeal achalasia is a rare cause of neonatal dysphagia. Its treatment is based on surgical myotomy, which is to be avoided in the presence of prematurity and neurological diseases. The authors report a case of cricopharyngeal achalasia in a full-term four-month-old female baby. Coughing and choking during feeds were the major symptoms. The diagnosis was made peroperatively although barium meal and endoscopic findings were suggestive. After cricopharyngeal myotomy, symptoms took several weeks to disappear. Seven months after surgery, she feeds normally and weighs 7,700 g. Neonatal cricopharyngeal achalasia could be a foregoing state to cricopharyngeal diverticula in adult. Some cases may remain undiagnosed either due to lack of symptoms or sudden infant death.