Feline esophagus
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Laughlin Dawes had no recorded disclosures.
View Laughlin Dawes's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures- Oesophageal shiver
Feline esophagus also known as esophageal shiver, refers to the transient transverse bands seen in the mid and lower esophagus on a double-contrast barium swallow.
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Pathology
The appearance is almost always associated with active gastro-esophageal reflux 2,3 and is thought to be due to contraction of the muscularis mucosae with resultant shortening of the esophagus and 'bunching up' of the mucosa in the lumen 2.
Radiographic features
The folds are 1-2 mm thick and run horizontally around the entire circumference of the esophageal lumen. The findings are transient, seen following reflux and not during swallowing. The appearance is confined to the distal two-thirds of the thoracic esophagus.
History and etymology
Transverse esophageal folds were originally described in 1970 by Bremner et al. 5 as a normal anatomic feature of the cat esophagus. The term feline esophagus has hence been applied to the similar transient appearance in the human esophagus.
Differential diagnosis
- scarring from reflux 1,2
- permanent
- thicker
- cross less than half of the lumen
-
esophageal spasm 1
- much thicker bands
-
eosinophilic esophagitis 4
- 'ringed esophagus' seen in ~50%
- similar sized bands
- permanent
- strictures
References
- 1. Gohel VK, Edell SL, Laufer I et-al. Transverse folds in the human esophagus. Radiology. 1978;128 (2): 303-8. doi:10.1148/128.2.303 - Pubmed citation
- 2. Furth EE, Rubesin SE, Rose D. Feline esophagus. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1995;164 (4): 900. AJR Am J Roentgenol (citation) - Pubmed citation
- 3. Samadi F, Levine MS, Rubesin SE et-al. Feline esophagus and gastroesophageal reflux. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2010;194 (4): 972-6. doi:10.2214/AJR.09.3352 - Pubmed citation
- 4. Zimmerman SL, Levine MS, Rubesin SE et-al. Idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis in adults: the ringed esophagus. Radiology. 2005;236 (1): 159-65. doi:10.1148/radiol.2361041100 - Pubmed citation
- 5. Bremner CG, Shorter RG, Ellis FH. Anatomy of feline esophagus with special reference to its muscular wall and phrenoesophageal membrane. J. Surg. Res. 1970;10 (7): 327-31. J. Surg. Res. (link) - Pubmed citation
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