Читать книгу The Esophagus - Группа авторов - Страница 77

The approach to the OPD patient is evolving. Several modalities are available for the evaluation of OPD patients, including barium studies, pharyngoesophageal high‐resolution manometry, endoscopy, ultrasonography, and scintigraphy. Ongoing intensive research by various disciplines is making the approach to the OPD patient a dynamic and improving phenomenon. Quantitative normalcy data is now available, and study recordings and test substances are more standardized, allowing for inter‐study comparisons. With the advent of digitalization technology, endoscopic and fluoroscopic images are digitized and analyzed using the slow‐motion and frame‐by‐frame movement capability. This technology permits synchronization of several modalities and accurate timing of the events. This synchronization allows determination of the temporal relationship of various events, such as bolus movement and airway closure during oropharyngeal swallowing. Since all the structures of the oropharynx are not adequately seen during swallowing with one single modality, this multi‐system recording is essential for studying the coordination of oropharyngeal swallowing events.