Manometric analysis of the pharyngo-esophageal segment.

Manometry of the pharyngo-esophageal segment can be a valuable tool in the investigation of pharyngeal dysphagia. Advances in technology have overcome previous equipment shortcomings and now allow accurate measurements of such factors as the rapid response rate of the striated muscle and asymmetry of the upper esophageal sphincter. Close attention to technique can overcome difficulties with movement artifacts encountered during deglutition. There are an increasing number of reports in the literature of manometric studies of normal swallow function as well as of patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia.