ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2018
What is a normal pharynx? A videofluoroscopic study of anatomy in older adults.
Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Cricopharyngeal POEM: A minimally invasive option for cricopharyngeal achalasia and bar.Indian journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Swallow screening of older adults at hospital admission.Australasian journal on ageing · 2025Observational
- Esophageal Radiography Interpretation: a Primer for the Gastroenterologist.Current gastroenterology reports · 2023Review
- Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing in Resistant Hypertensive Patients With and Without Sleep Obstructive Apnea.Dysphagia · 2022Observational
- Clinical determinants and neural correlates of presbyphagia in community-dwelling older adults.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Article
- Swallow patterns associated with aspiration in COPD: a prospective analysis.ERJ open research · 2021Article
- Cricopharyngeal bar on videofluoroscopy: high specificity for inclusion body myositis.Journal of neurology · 2021Article
- Establishing a method for quantifying spinal curvature during videofluoroscopic swallow studies: Applying the modified Cobb angle to healthy young and older adults.OBM geriatrics · 2020Article
- Cricopharyngeal myotomy for cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction after esophagectomy.Surgical case reports · 2020Article
- Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing findings in individuals with Zenker's diverticulum and cricopharyngeal bar.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeStructural and functional pharyngeal changes occur with age. How these affect swallowing in healthy older adults is not well defined. This study presents quantitative pharyngeal anatomic features in healthy adults using videofluoroscopic study of swallowing (VFSS). This will help our understanding of the normal changes in swallowing that occur with age and illustrate what may constitute normal variation compared with abnormal swallow function.
methods138 mixed gender adults with no history of dysphagia were recruited and underwent a standardized VFSS protocol. Parameters including age, BMI, and gender were correlated with the presence of a cricopharyngeal bar, spinal changes and pharyngeal wall thickness at rest.
results46% of participants had notable spinal changes. 8% of participants demonstrated cricopharyngeal bars and 12% of subjects revealed osteophytes. Age positively correlated with the presence of a cricopharyngeal bar (r
conclusionsA significant number of healthy adults with no swallowing complaints have variant pharyngeal anatomic findings such as cervical vertebral osteophytes and cricopharyngeal bars. This must be taken into account when assessing patients with dysphagia complaints to avoid misattribution of symptoms to these potentially asymptomatic variants. This ensures correct recommendations are made regarding management including diet modification, compensatory strategies, and surgical intervention.
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