When the esophagus stops working properly, people develop a condition known as dysphagia, or impaired swallowing. It is not a pleasant experience as it interferes with the person's ability to maintain a healthy diet. It sometimes causes pain as well. Doctors use several methods of swallow study for dysphagia in order to diagnose and treat this condition.
The process of swallowing starts when the food enters the mouth. The tongue manipulates it around as it is chewed, and then shoves it backwards down the throat. Once that has happened, the gullet rhythmically pushes the ingested matter down its entire length to the opening of the stomach. This opening is called the gastric sphincter, and the rhythmic pushing is called peristalsis. The food then passes into the stomach.
There are some reasons why this process might be difficult or impossible. The esophageal muscles may be impaired in some way, such as by being too weak to move anything or because they are otherwise injured.
Sometimes, the peristalsis starts to be irregular. These diffuse spasms are very strong and come in quick succession, in the involuntary muscles of the esophagus. This is similar to cardiac arrhythmia in that it is not like the usual predictable rhythm in the muscular contractions.
Sometimes, the gullet is blocked by excessively large chunks of food. Cancer patients with tumors in the gullet may have a similar experience. The ingestion of foreign bodies is always dangerous because it can have this effect.
On a broader level, neurological issues can also impair swallowing. People who have recently suffered a stroke or other injury to the nervous system can lose gullet function. Certain nervous disorders, such as polio or Parkinson's disease, may have the same effect.
Monitoring the swallowing action is necessary in diagnosing the problem. The person is asked to eat or drink something that has been infused with barium, which is the contrast material. The X-ray cannot show muscle tissue but in the presence of barium it is able to, because the metal reflects the X-rays. Their esophagus is then checked to see how it functions as it processes the ingested material. This is known as a dynamic swallowing exercise.
A more preliminary refinement of this process is for the person to swallow the same food and then undergo X-rays after it has coated their gullet with the contrast metal. The muscles of the food passage can then be inspected to see if they are working normally or if the passage is obstructed.
Manometry is a test of the strength of the muscles in the esophagus. A tube is inserted into the patient's mouth and it then applies pressure to the muscular walls of the food passage. The reaction of the muscles can be measured to determine if they are too weak or not functioning properly.
Testing the strength of those muscles is done during a manometry exam. This also involves inserting a tube into the mouth, but this time the tube exerts pressure on the walls of the food canal to ascertain their power and coordination.
None of these techniques is extremely traumatic. Older adults are the more usual sufferers of dysphagia, but anyone who has been experiencing discomfort or impairment in swallowing should consult with their doctor as a matter of urgency.
The process of swallowing starts when the food enters the mouth. The tongue manipulates it around as it is chewed, and then shoves it backwards down the throat. Once that has happened, the gullet rhythmically pushes the ingested matter down its entire length to the opening of the stomach. This opening is called the gastric sphincter, and the rhythmic pushing is called peristalsis. The food then passes into the stomach.
There are some reasons why this process might be difficult or impossible. The esophageal muscles may be impaired in some way, such as by being too weak to move anything or because they are otherwise injured.
Sometimes, the peristalsis starts to be irregular. These diffuse spasms are very strong and come in quick succession, in the involuntary muscles of the esophagus. This is similar to cardiac arrhythmia in that it is not like the usual predictable rhythm in the muscular contractions.
Sometimes, the gullet is blocked by excessively large chunks of food. Cancer patients with tumors in the gullet may have a similar experience. The ingestion of foreign bodies is always dangerous because it can have this effect.
On a broader level, neurological issues can also impair swallowing. People who have recently suffered a stroke or other injury to the nervous system can lose gullet function. Certain nervous disorders, such as polio or Parkinson's disease, may have the same effect.
Monitoring the swallowing action is necessary in diagnosing the problem. The person is asked to eat or drink something that has been infused with barium, which is the contrast material. The X-ray cannot show muscle tissue but in the presence of barium it is able to, because the metal reflects the X-rays. Their esophagus is then checked to see how it functions as it processes the ingested material. This is known as a dynamic swallowing exercise.
A more preliminary refinement of this process is for the person to swallow the same food and then undergo X-rays after it has coated their gullet with the contrast metal. The muscles of the food passage can then be inspected to see if they are working normally or if the passage is obstructed.
Manometry is a test of the strength of the muscles in the esophagus. A tube is inserted into the patient's mouth and it then applies pressure to the muscular walls of the food passage. The reaction of the muscles can be measured to determine if they are too weak or not functioning properly.
Testing the strength of those muscles is done during a manometry exam. This also involves inserting a tube into the mouth, but this time the tube exerts pressure on the walls of the food canal to ascertain their power and coordination.
None of these techniques is extremely traumatic. Older adults are the more usual sufferers of dysphagia, but anyone who has been experiencing discomfort or impairment in swallowing should consult with their doctor as a matter of urgency.
About the Author:
Read about the swallow study for dysphagia through clinical resources. To see links for patients of cancer and Parkinson disease, click on this link http://www.swallowstudy.com.
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