Megaoesophagus

A dilated oesophagus. The oesophagus is enlarged and does not empty, so it shows on the film filled with air, fluid or food, where a normal oesophagus is barely seen.

Megaoesophagus on a lateral thorax — Megaoesophagus

Two different patients, so size and positioning differ as well as the finding. Compare what the finding changes, not the dog.

What to look for

A gas-filled tube dorsal to the trachea along the thorax, with visible walls.
The tracheal stripe sign: the wall of the oesophagus and the wall of the trachea summating into one thick line.
The trachea pushed ventrally; aspiration pneumonia in the cranioventral lung is common with it.

Common causes

Idiopathic (congenital or acquired), myasthenia gravis, hypoadrenocorticism, vascular ring anomalies in puppies.

Against the normal

A normal oesophagus is usually not visible, or only as a small amount of air.

Radiographs: VetXRay, Banzato T., Burti S., Zotti A., Wodzinski M., University of Padua, CC BY 4.0. Converted to web images; findings as annotated by the dataset's radiologist. Dataset · Licence. For learning: not a diagnostic service.