Swallowing Pressure Profiles in Healthy Adults

Swallowing Pressure Profiles in Healthy Adults

This study is designed to determine the impact of a pharyngeal High Resolution Manometry catheter on swallowing biomechanics

During pharyngeal High Resolution Manometry (pHRM) a small bore flexible catheter is introduced into the pharynx to detect intrabolus pressure and contact of pharyngeal structures during swallowing. The presence of the catheter through the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) leads to a violation of its natural closed state. It is not clear how this intrusion influences the swallowing biomechanics . Hence, this project's goal is to identify how hyoid movement is altered during swallowing with the presence of a pHRM catheter in place.

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy adults between the ages of 18-45 with no major medical conditions.
• no specific gender or race will be excluded or targeted for participation in this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• adults who are pregnant
• adults with swallowing impairment, brain injury, deviated septum, G.I. strictures, obstructions, or Zenker's diverticulum, surgeries to nose, neck, or throat, or bleeding disorders will be excluded from this study