Faculty Collaboration Database

Effect of age and bolus variables on the coordination of the glottis and upper esophageal sphincter during swallowing. Am J Gastroenterol 1993 May;88(5):665-9

Date

05/01/1993

Pubmed ID

8480728

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0027162994 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   66 Citations

Abstract

We studied 1) the effect of age and bolus variables on a) the coordination of deglutitive vocal cord adduction and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) relaxation and b) the duration of deglutitive vocal cord adduction; 2) the effect of the presence of a manometric catheter across the UES on the deglutitive glottal function; and 3) the temporal relationship between deglutitive vocal cord closure and swallow-induced apnea. We studied 10 young (23 +/- 2 yr) and 10 healthy elderly (73 +/- 2 yr) volunteers by concurrent videoendoscopy, UES manometry, respirography, and submental surface electromyography. In both groups the onset of vocal cord adduction preceded the onset of UES relaxation, deglutitive apnea, and submental electromyogram swallowing signal. In both groups, bolus volume and temperature did not have any significant effect on the duration of deglutitive vocal cord adduction. In both young and elderly volunteers, water swallows, compared with dry swallows, significantly shortened the interval between the onset of deglutitive vocal cord adduction and the onset of UES relaxation. In conclusion, coordination between deglutitive glottal and UES function, as well as the duration of deglutitive vocal cord adduction, is preserved in the elderly. Bolus volume and temperature do not have a modulatory effect on the duration of vocal cord closure, but water swallow shortens the interval between the onset of glottal closure and UES relaxation. This shortened interval may contribute to the safety of the airway during swallowing of liquid volumes.

Author List

Ren J, Shaker R, Zamir Z, Dodds WJ, Hogan WJ, Hoffmann RG

Author

Reza Shaker MD Assoc Provost, Sr Assoc Dean, Ctr Dir, Chief, Prof in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Aging
Deglutition
Electromyography
Esophagogastric Junction
Esophagoscopy
Glottis
Humans
Manometry
Muscle Contraction
Pharyngeal Muscles
Respiration
Time Factors
Video Recording
Vocal Cords