The term "dysphagia" refers to difficulty in swallowing. The inability to swallow may manifest in several different ways, ranging from occasional problems with swallowing, especially when you don't thoroughly chew your food, or when you try to eat too quickly, to extreme cases which can make it nearly impossible to swallow foods or even liquids. The use of a swallow study for dysphagia is a method for accurate diagnosis of the condition. Determining the extent of the problem and its precise location is necessary before a course of treatment can be implemented.
Occasional swallowing problems may not require that any medical intervention be done. The problem can worsen as a person gets older, so that action must eventually be taken.
The symptoms related to dysphagia range from minor problems to major pain. A large piece of food can get stuck in the throat. Sometimes it just feels as if the food is lodged in the throat. Acidic backup in the throat is another symptom that can be very troubling. It may help to ensure that food is cut into smaller pieces to assist the movement from the mouth to the stomach.
Dysphagia can be cause by any of several different conditions. Structures or partial blockage of the esophagus, achalasia and spasms, or a narrowing of the esophageal ring creates issues with swallowing. Many people suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly called GERD. In this condition, the esophagus becomes scarred due to the leakage of stomach acid into the esophagus. Radiation therapy, eosinophilic esophagitis and scleroderma are other common causes.
Several conditions are grouped as oropharyngeal dysphagia. The individual with these issues may experience choking, coughing or gagging on food when swallowing is attempted. In some instances, it feels as if liquids or foods have gone down the trachea. Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or muscular dystrophy are neurological disorders which cause the symptoms. They can also arise from a brain or spinal cord injury or from a stroke. A pouch can form and food is trapped there in a condition called pharyngeal diverticula.
There are several methods to use in diagnosing the location and severity of the condition. The doctor can use a flexible, thin lighted instrument (endoscope) down into your throat so a fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation (FEES) and a visual examination of the esophagus can be made. A manometry procedure require the insertion of a small tube to measure muscle pressure into the esophagus.
Imaging studies include a barium X-ray, which involves drinking a barium solution or swallowing a pill coated with barium A CT scan combines multiple x-rays to produce cross sectional pictures of the bones and soft tissues in the throat. An MRI scan utilizes magnetic and radio waves. A PET scan (positron emission tomography) utilizes a radioactive tracer to determine the functionality of organs and tissues.
The study which checks dynamic swallowing requires the subject to swallow barium coated foods in various consistencies. The images follow the path of the foods as they move through the mouth and down the throat. This set of images will point up issues in the way the muscles work when swallowing happens. The pictures will show instances where the food is traveling into the breathing tube rather than the stomach.
Occasional swallowing problems may not require that any medical intervention be done. The problem can worsen as a person gets older, so that action must eventually be taken.
The symptoms related to dysphagia range from minor problems to major pain. A large piece of food can get stuck in the throat. Sometimes it just feels as if the food is lodged in the throat. Acidic backup in the throat is another symptom that can be very troubling. It may help to ensure that food is cut into smaller pieces to assist the movement from the mouth to the stomach.
Dysphagia can be cause by any of several different conditions. Structures or partial blockage of the esophagus, achalasia and spasms, or a narrowing of the esophageal ring creates issues with swallowing. Many people suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly called GERD. In this condition, the esophagus becomes scarred due to the leakage of stomach acid into the esophagus. Radiation therapy, eosinophilic esophagitis and scleroderma are other common causes.
Several conditions are grouped as oropharyngeal dysphagia. The individual with these issues may experience choking, coughing or gagging on food when swallowing is attempted. In some instances, it feels as if liquids or foods have gone down the trachea. Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or muscular dystrophy are neurological disorders which cause the symptoms. They can also arise from a brain or spinal cord injury or from a stroke. A pouch can form and food is trapped there in a condition called pharyngeal diverticula.
There are several methods to use in diagnosing the location and severity of the condition. The doctor can use a flexible, thin lighted instrument (endoscope) down into your throat so a fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation (FEES) and a visual examination of the esophagus can be made. A manometry procedure require the insertion of a small tube to measure muscle pressure into the esophagus.
Imaging studies include a barium X-ray, which involves drinking a barium solution or swallowing a pill coated with barium A CT scan combines multiple x-rays to produce cross sectional pictures of the bones and soft tissues in the throat. An MRI scan utilizes magnetic and radio waves. A PET scan (positron emission tomography) utilizes a radioactive tracer to determine the functionality of organs and tissues.
The study which checks dynamic swallowing requires the subject to swallow barium coated foods in various consistencies. The images follow the path of the foods as they move through the mouth and down the throat. This set of images will point up issues in the way the muscles work when swallowing happens. The pictures will show instances where the food is traveling into the breathing tube rather than the stomach.
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