Obesity and symptomatic achalasia.

Weight loss is a frequent finding in achalasia because of the difficulty in swallowing. Although manometric findings compatible with achalasia have been found in morbidly obese patients, all of them were asymptomatic. The authors report a case of symptomatic achalasia and morbid obesity in a 38-year-old woman. A mental disorder become manifested after the patient was submitted to an esophageal myotomy and fundoplication. With weight gain, postoperative gastroesophageal reflux developed. Drawbacks of further operative procedures in such a patient are discussed.