title: Dysphagia as a cause of chest pain: an otolaryngologist's view.
abstract: Dysphagia is an important alarm symptom, commonly associated with chest pain; it is often associated with reflux disease, xerostomia, or tumors of the head and neck. However, simple diagnoses such as aspiration of a foreign body can be overseen and may result in major complications, such as perforation and mediastinitis. It is thus of crucial importance that a thorough gastrointestinal, cardiac, and radiologic examination precede a rigid esophagoscopy by an otolaryngologist. In this article the differential diagnoses of dysphagia are discussed, and the otolaryngologist's approach to diagnosis and therapy are explained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Street 62, Cologne 50924, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vent
authors.forename: Simon F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Preuss
authors.forename: Guy D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Eslick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D008297:Male; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D010808:Physical Examination; D015995:Prevalence; D041742:Upper Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000033:anatomy & histology