Corkscrew esophagus (also referred as rosary bead esophagus) is a classic 
finding of diffuse esophageal spasm (DES) in barium studies reflecting abnormal 
contractions, leading to compartmentalization and curling of the esophagus, 
ultimately giving an appearance similar to a corkscrew or rosary beads. We 
review the pathophysiology of this finding, correlating it to corkscrew and 
rosary images that originated this classic description.