title: A scintigraphic study of oropharyngeal swallowing dynamics in Chagas' disease.
abstract: We studied oropharyngeal function in patients with Chagas' disease and oesophageal disease. Twenty-four patients with Chagas' disease, 17 of them with oesophageal disease, were submitted to scintigraphic oropharyngeal transit. A single swallow of a 10-mL bolus of water labelled with 40 MBq 99m Tc-phytate, followed by image acquisition at 20 images s-1 yielded time-activity curves in which oropharyngeal dynamics was evaluated. Thirteen normal volunteers were used as controls. Oral transit was longer for chagasics with oesophageal disease than for controls (P=0.004) or for chagasics with a normal oesophagus (P=0.028). Oesophageal filling rate, measured by the slope of the ascending aspect of the oesophageal radioactivity curve, was lower for chagasics with oesophageal disease than for controls (P=0.037). Also, maximum oesophageal filling rate was lower (P=0. 021) and occurred later (P=0.003) for chagasics with oesophageal disease than for controls. Pharyngeal clearance was positively correlated with oral transit (r=0.603, P=0.002). We conclude that chagasic oesophageal disease is associated with oral transit delay and a slower oesophageal filling rate.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Clínica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nobre E Souza
authors.forename: R O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: De Oliveira
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Braga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003679:Deglutition; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging