Oneliner_2135

OneLiner

The upper third of the esophagus is made up of striated muscle, allowing some voluntary control. The middle third of the esophagus is made up of both striated and smooth muscle. The lower third of the esophagus is made up of smooth muscle, which is entirely involuntary. Patients with scleroderma develop dysphagia (usually to solids and liquids) secondary to atrophy of smooth muscle of the lower two-thirds of the esophagus and incompetence of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The wall of the esophagus becomes thin and atrophic and can have regions of fibrosis.