Physiology -- Deglutition and Dysphagia Flashcards
3 functional activities of the GIT
- Propulsion
- Secretion & digestion
- Absorption
What do the pressure gradients of the GIT result from?
Coordinated contraction of muscular elements in the GI wall
Magnitude of the pressure gradient in the GIT
5 - 30 mm Hg
Stimulus to generate contractions in the GIT
Physiological distension
What does physiological distension cause?
- Stimulation of stress muscle fibres
- Neurotransmitter release (ENS)
What is the ENS modulated by?
ANS and hormones
2 types of contraction
Segmentation and Peristalsis
Define segmentation
Standing rings of contraction
Define peristalsis
Propagated contraction
5 sphincters in the GIT from top to bottom
- Upper esophageal
- Lower esophageal
- Pyloric
- Ileocecal
- Internal and external anal
3 requirements for flow
- Generate pressure
- Prevent dissipation of pressure
- Decrease resistance
3 phases of swallowing
- Oral
- Pharyngeal
- Esophageal
Alteration in the phases of swallowing can result in what?
Dysphagia
Define dysphagia
Difficulty or delay in passage of solid or liquid food bolus that is sensed by the patient within seconds of initiaiton of a swallow attempt
Prevalence of dysphagia in people over 65
15%
2 types of dysphagia
- Oropharyngeal
- Esophageal
Define esophageal dysphagia
Food stuck in the center of the chest
Define oropharyngeal dysphagia
Coughing or choking
2 mechanisms that can result in dysphagia
- Mechanical obstruction and/or structural abnormality
- Neuromotor
Type of control exhibited in the oral phase
Voluntary control
2 neural components of the oral phase
- Ability to initiate (voluntary –> cortex)
- Coordinated movements (reflex; involuntary –> medulla)
4 abnormalities in the oral phase
- Neuromuscular defect
- Congenital abnormalities
- Bucco-pharyngeal obstruction
- Trauma and inflammation
How do neuromuscular defects cause abnormalities in the oral phase
Prevent generation of pressure
How do congenital abnormalities cause abnormalities in the oral phase?
Promote dissipation of pressure
How can bucco-pharygneal obstruction cause abnormalities in the oral phase?
Increase resistance to flow
DIfferential diagnosis of dysphagia in the event of trauma and inflammation causing abnormalitites in the oral phase
Odynophagia
3 prerequisites for propulsion
- Generation of pressure
- Prevention of the dissipation of pressure
- Decrease resistance
Pharyngeal receptors bring afferent neurons to which part of the brain?
Deglutition center
Deglutition reflexes sent out from the deglutition center resulting from the information received from the pharyngeal receptors
- Protective reactions
- Deglutition apnea
- Relax UES
- Contract pharyngeal constrictors
Trigger areas for deglutition reflexes
- Soft palate
- Uvula
- Palatine tonsil
- Root of tongue
- Epiglottis
What does the deglutition center have a direct inhibitor influence on? What does this lead to?
Respiratory center –> deglutition apnea
6 steps in the pharyngeal phase
- Raise soft palate
- Raise base of tongue
- Vocal cords come together
- Forward and upward movement of larynx
- Propagated contraction of pharyngeal constrictors
- Relaxation of UES
Where do the impulses for the closure of the cricopharyngeus originate?
Centraly
What mediates the closure of the cricopharyngeus
Vagus releasing ACh at neuromuscular junction –> muscle contraction
How does the cricopharyngeus relax?
Cessation of impulses from vagus releasing ACh
4 characteristics of the pharyngeal phase
- Involuntary
- Rapid
- “Stereotyped”
- Temporospatial coordination