The patient who aspirates -- diagnosis and management

There is renewed interest, particularly by head and neck surgeons in the pathophysiology of swallowing. Some of the reasons for this are an increased number of patients in the following categories who have swallowing problems: 1) patients postoperative from procedures in the head and neck, e.g., partial laryngectomy, partial or complete excisions of the tongue, pharynx, or mandible; 2) patients with peptic ulcer, hiatal hernia, esophageal diverticula, and cardiospasm; 3) patients who survive severe central nervous system problems such as stroke, brain tumors, aneurysms, or degenerative disease; and 4) patients who survive serious accidents with severe neck trauma. This paper reviews the pathophysiology of swallowing and the methods of diagnosing and treating dysphagia and its complications.