Odynophagia overview
|
Odynophagia Microchapters |
|
Diagnosis |
|---|
|
Treatment |
|
Case Studies |
|
Odynophagia overview On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Odynophagia overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Odynophagia is defined as painful swallowing.
Differentiating Odynophagia from other Conditions
Odynophagia should be differentiated from dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing).
Diagnosis
Electrocardiogram
Electrocardiogram can be used to assess for left atrial enlargement.
Chest X Ray
Chest X ray can used to rule out lung cancer and other mass lesions as well as left atrial enlargement.
MRI
MRI of brain can be used to exclude CVA and mass lesions of the head and neck.
Echocardiography
Echocardiography can be used to rule out an aneurysm or left atrial enlargement as a cause.
Treatment
Surgery
Thoracic surgery and possible balloon dilation (chronic mechanical obstruction) may be helpful.