Esophageal achalasia in an adolescent in Central Africa: a case report.

Esophageal Achalasia has rarely been reported in sub-Saharan Africa. We report a case of a 12 years old boy who has been diagnosed after experiencing dysphagia for a year and progressive wasting. Esophagogram was the only exploration available in our settings and showed classical features. He underwent a Heller esophago-cardiomyotomy with Toupet fundoplication. Postoperative period was unremarkable and BMI normalized for age and sex on the sixth postoperative month. In low settings, history is a key step which lead to clinical suspicion as esophagogram is often the only available exploration to confirm the diagnosis.

Congenital segmental dilatation of the jejunum in an African child: a case report.

Congenital segmental dilatation of the intestine is a rare disease. It is rarely located in the jejunum and its etiology is still unknown despite many theories suggesting its mechanism. We report a case of a 17 months girl who experienced nonspecific symptoms (abdominal pain, constipation and loss of appetite) since early her infancy. She had no growth retardation and had moderate abdominal distension on physical examination. Investigations undertaken could not increase suspicion of congenital segmental dilatation of the intestine (CSDI). The diagnosis was made peroperatively and a resection was done, followed by end-to-end jejunal anastomosis. There were no postoperative complications and the patient is doing well after four months. One should think of CSDI in children with chronic subocclusion or digestive hemorrhage.