For more than ten years there has been no advance suggested in instruments constructed for the purpose of treating esophageal lesions of the "spastic type (esophagismus, spasm at the cardia, cardiospasm).
This report describes a dilator useful, particularly, in the radical local management of cardiospasm associated with diffuse dilation of the esophagus.
Commonly, instrumentation for the relief of this syndrome is attempted by the "hydrostatic," elongated balloon described many years ago by Henry Plummer. Excellent though Plummer's apparatus is, it has several faults and limitations: (1) A source of running water is required: such demand limits use of the instrument