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Esophageal membrane
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
Esophageal membrane (Plummer-Vinson or Peterson-Kelly syndrome; Sideropenic dysphagia) is a thin membrane of mucous membrane that grows across the lumen of the esophagus.
Membranes occasionally occur in patients with severe iron deficiency anemia; they develop even more rarely in patients without anemia.
Membranes usually develop in the upper esophagus, causing dysphagia when eating solids. They are best diagnosed by X-ray with a barium swallow. Resorption of the membrane occurs in parallel with treatment of anemia, and the membrane can be easily stretched during esophagoscopy.