Aster Prime Hospital Doctors Treat 82-Year-Old Woman For Rare Esophageal Disorder
On May 31, 2026, medical professionals at Aster Prime Hospital in Hyderabad successfully treated an 82-year-old woman suffering from Achalasia Cardia, a rare esophageal disorder. The advanced medical procedure restored the elderly patient's ability to eat and drink normally, ending a long period of severe physical distress.
Prior to the treatment, the patient had spent two years starving and enduring severe agony. The rare condition caused food to get lodged in her esophagus instead of reaching her stomach. As her condition progressively worsened over the two-year period, she reached a stage where she could swallow neither solid foods nor liquids.
The disorder also severely impacted her rest. Whenever the 82-year-old woman lay down at night, the consumed food would flow back out through her mouth and nose.
To resolve the condition, the medical team at Aster Prime Hospital performed an advanced Per-Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) procedure. This intervention successfully opened the passage to her stomach, enabling her to eat without any discomfort and return to a normal life.
Dr. Kaluvala Harsha Teja, a Medical Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Therapeutic Endoscopist at Aster Prime Hospital, explained the nature of the illness. Under normal circumstances, food reaches the stomach from the esophagus within seven to eight seconds.
However, in patients suffering from Achalasia Cardia, the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), which is a muscular valve located at the end of the esophagus, fails to relax and open. Because this valve remains closed, food gets trapped in the esophagus. This blockage leads to regurgitation through the mouth and nose, vomiting while lying down, and severe weight loss.
According to Dr. Teja, the condition is primarily caused by genetic factors, though past infections can also trigger its onset. The successful POEM procedure at Aster Prime Hospital has now given the elderly patient a new lease of life.
