Augmentation of deglutitive upper esophageal sphincter opening in the elderly by exercise. Am J Physiol 1997 Jun;272(6 Pt 1):G1518-22
Date
06/01/1997Pubmed ID
9227489DOI
10.1152/ajpgi.1997.272.6.G1518Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0030753128 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 278 CitationsAbstract
Earlier studies have shown that the cross-sectional area of the deglutitive upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening in healthy asymptomatic elderly individuals is reduced compared with healthy young volunteers. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a head-raising exercise on swallow-induced UES opening and hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure in the elderly. We studied a total of 31 asymptomatic healthy elderly subjects by videofluoroscopy and manometry before and after real (19 subjects) and sham (12 subjects) exercises. A significant increase was found in the magnitude of the anterior excursion of the larynx, the maximum anteroposterior diameter, and the cross-sectional area of the UES opening after the real exercise (P < 0.05). These changes were associated with a significant decrease in the hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure studied in 12 (real-exercise) and 6 (sham-exercise) subjects (P < 0.05). A similar effect was not found in the sham-exercise group. In normal elderly subjects, deglutitive UES opening is amenable to augmentation by exercise aimed at strengthening the UES opening muscles. This augmentation is accompanied by a significant decrease in hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure, indicating a decrease in pharyngeal outflow resistance. This approach may be helpful in some patients with dysphagia due to disorders of deglutitive UES opening.
Author List
Shaker R, Kern M, Bardan E, Taylor A, Stewart ET, Hoffmann RG, Arndorfer RC, Hofmann C, Bonnevier JAuthor
Reza Shaker MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAged, 80 and over
Deglutition
Esophagogastric Junction
Esophagus
Exercise
Female
Fluoroscopy
Humans
Hypopharynx
Manometry
Middle Aged
Muscle, Smooth
Reference Values
Video Recording
