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T h e n e w e ngl a nd j o u r na l o f m e dic i n e Review Article Dan L. Longo, M.D., Editor Esophageal Motility Disorders and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Ravinder Mittal, M.D., and Michael F. Vaezi, M.D., Ph.D. Dysphagia, heartburn, regurgitation, and noncardiac chest pain are symptoms of aberrant esophageal motility and reflux disease. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the second most common gas- trointestinal diagnosis in the ambulatory setting, the most common being ab- dominal pain.1 GERD affects 18 to 28% of people living in North America.2 Poten- tial complications of GERD include stricture, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal adenocarcinoma. In terms of health care costs, disorders of the esophagus con- sumed $18.1 billion in the year 2015 (second only to hepatitis); $12.4 billion of this spending was on acid-inhibition therapy (H2 blockers and proton-pump in- hibitors).1 Esophageal motility disorders and GERD are benign in nature, with minimal associated mortality but a substantial effect on the quality of health. From the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego (R.M.); and the Division of Gastroen...