To find the cause of any of these symptoms, the doctor asks about the patient's personal and family medical history and does a complete physical exam. In addition to checking general signs of health, the doctor usually orders x-rays and other tests. To prepare for this test, the patient drinks a barium solution . The barium, which shows up on x-rays, coats the inside of the esophagus. The doctor can also use a special x-ray machine called a fluoroscope to watch the barium move down the esophagus to the stomach as the patient swallows.
Most patients also have a test called esophagoscopy .
For this procedure, the patient's throat is sprayed with a local anesthetic to reduce discomfort and gagging. The doctor then passes a thin, flexible, lighted instrument called an endoscope through the mouth and down the throat to the esophagus. The scope lets the doctor see the lining of the esophagus and the place where the esophagus joins the stomach. Also, cells can be brushed or washed from the walls of the esophagus through the scope. A pathologist examines the samples under a microscope to see whether cancer is present.