GI pt. 1 Flashcards
GI pt. 1 (133 cards)
3 Classifications of dysphagia
- Oropharyngeal
- Esophageal
- Gastroesophageal
3 subtypes of oropharyngeal dysphagia
- Oral – difficulty prehending and transporting food or water to the oropharynx
- Pharyngeal – Pharyngeal weakness secondary to a polyneuropathy or polymyopathy, or pharyngeal foreign body or neoplasia
- Cricopharyngeal – Failure of the bolus to pass through the cricopharyngeus region
Oropharyngeal dysphagia
- exaggerated swallowing movements and food will usually drop from the mouth within seconds of swallowing
Esophageal Dysphagia
more delayed regurgitation and is usually not associated with exaggerated swallowing movements.
Gastroesophageal Dysphagia
typically associated with a sliding hiatal hernia or abnormal decreased tone in the lower esophageal sphincter causing gastroesophageal reflux
Odynophagia
painful swallowing, often associated with esophageal foreign body or esophagitis
T/F: the cricopharygeal muscle is a vital part of the upper esophageal sphincter
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Retching
an involuntary and ineffectual attempt at vomiting
Gagging
reflexive contraction of the constrictor muscles of the pharynx resulting from stimulation of the pharyngeal mucosa.
Diagnosis of swallowing disorders (History)
Age of onset is important Liquids vs solids Intermittent vs progressive Temporal pattern w/ swallowing Recent gen. anesthesia Dysphonia? Odynophagia Medications
T/F: an ability to ingest liquids fine, but inability to ingest solids is indicative of some form of structural abnormality, esophagitis, or vascular ring anomaly.
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What is one of the most valuable tools when checking a dysphagic patient?
actually watching the animal attempt to eat/ drink
Diagnostic Approach to the Dysphagic Dog
- physical and neuro exam
- observe the animal eating and drinking
- CBC, Chem (including CK)
- survey rads
- Esophagram vs Videofluroscopy
- Esophagoscopy
- EMG and NCV
T/F: Dysphagia is not a diagnosis, it is a clinical sign.
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Masticatory Muscle Myositis
- often present with an inability to open the jaw (trismus), jaw pain, and swelling/ atrophy of the masticatory muscles
- Diagnostics should include CK, 2M antibody test, and muscle biopsy
- Treatment with aggressive immunomodulatory drugs - cyclosporine, pred
T/F: muscles often affected by MMM are: masseter, temporalis, pteygoid, frontalis, and digastric.
F: the frontalis is not affected and so a muscle biopsy taken is not indicative/ useful for establishing MMM
Cricopharyngeal Muscle (CPm) Dysphagia
- Classified as either an Achalasia or Asynchrony, but have similar clinical presentations
- Clinical Signs: dysphagia immediately upon swallowing, repeated swallowing attempts, dysphagia worse w/ water, nasal reflux, bloating, coughing
- Diagnostics: Video-fluroscopy, rule out other causes
- Treatments: Surgery (myotomy - ideal), Botox injection (temp. repair for couple months), Balloon dilation of UES (not great alone)
- Prognosis - extremely variable
What are the two causes of nasal reflux
- Cleft pallate
- CPm achalasia (normally, but can also be asynchrony)
CPm Achalasia vs Asynchrony
Achalasia:
- failure of UES to relax
Asynchrony:
- failure of UES relaxation to time with pharyngeal contraction
Megaesophagus (Congenital Form)
- usually manifests in puppies at the time of weaning
- most likely due to a delay in maturation of the esophageal neuromuscular system
Megaesophagus (Acquired Form)
- Primary (idiopathic)(roughly 52%) or Secondary (to a large number of systemic disorders such as MG (roughly 25%), Addison’s, SLE, polymyositis, etc)
- Acquired idiopathic form is the most common in the dog (GSD, Great Dane, Irish Setter)
T/F: the biggest concern for an animal presenting with megaesophagus is the risk of aspiration pneumonia.
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Megaesophagus (clinical Signs)
- regurgitation
- anorexia
- drooling,
- pain on swallowing (secondary to esophagitis)
Megaesophagus (Diagnostics)
- radiography ( Also, enlargement of the cranial eso with normal distal eso indicates a vascular ring anomaly or stricture)