Dysphagia: Approach to Assessment and Treatment-Juniper Publishers
      Juniper Publishers-Open Access  Journal of                    Head Neck & Spine Surgery Dysphagia: Approach to Assessment and Treatment Authored by Lalsa Shilpa Perepa                                                                            Introduction   Dysphagia is a medical term used to describe a  swallowing disorder. It may refer to a swallowing disorder involving any  one of the 3 stages of swallowing: oral, pharyngeal, esophageal. It is  not a primary medical diagnosis, but a symptom of a disease, &  therefore is described most often by its clinical characteristics.  Dysphagia is delay in or misdirection of a fluid or solid bolus as it  moves from mouth to the stomach. Delay in or misdirection of the food  bolus may interfere with functional oral intake.       The nature of dysphagia   Aspiration occurs whenever food enters the airway  below the true vocal folds. Aspiration can occur before, du...