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Benign Esophageal Disease

Benign Esophageal Diseases

At Stanford, we provide a wide range of minimally invasive surgical treatments for benign esophageal diseases, including:

  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Achalasia
  • Paraesophageal hernia
  • Barrett’s esophagus

Minimally invasive treatments are beneficial because, in some cases, they may eliminate the need for more complex surgeries, and in most cases, minimally invasive treatments reduce the patient's length of hospital stay and shorten recovery time. We have general thoracic surgeons that are specially trained in these methods to treat non-malignant esophageal diseases.

Types of benign esophageal diseases

We offer diagnostic and treatment for benign esophageal diseases, including:

Achalasia

A digestive disorder caused by the esophagus not sufficiently pushing food or liquid into the stomach.

Barrett's esophagus

A pre-cancerous condition characterized by changes in the cells lining the esophagus which raises the risk of developing adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. It is associated with long-term irritation from acid reflux, commonly in patients with a long history of heartburn.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

A digestive disorder caused by gastric acid flowing from the stomach into the esophagus.

Paraesophageal hernias

A condition in which part of the stomach is found in the chest.