Utility of Esophageal Manometry in the Evaluation of Presumed Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a common complaint among patients presenting to the otolaryngology clinic. Its prevalence is estimated to be anywhere between 10% and 22% in US adults ages 50 or older, and between 14.9% and 50.2% in older adults in nursing homes. As opposed to esophageal dysphagia, OD involves difficulties in safely and efficiently transferring solids and liquids from the mouth, through the pharynx and upper esophageal sphincter (UES), and into the esophagus. Patients may describe associated symptoms such as a delay in initiation of swallowing, globus sensation, nasal aspiration during swallowing, hoarseness, and weight loss. The etiology of OD is multifactorial but can generally be divided into structural pathologies in the oropharynx, muscular/neuromuscular pathologies, neurodegenerative diseases, and peripheral/central nervous system diseases. Validated questionnaires to assess the severity of OD have been developed to study the detrimental impact of OD on patient's quality-of-life.<br><br><br><hr><i>For inquiries regarding the contents of this dataset, please contact the Corresponding Author listed in the README.txt file. Administrative inquiries (e.g., removal requests, trouble downloading, etc.) can be directed to data-management@arizona.edu</i>