Endoscopy of the pharynx and oesophagus

Abstract

The pharynx and oesophagus belong to the upper digestive tract; their morphology and function enable normal swallowing. Dysphagia is one of the main symptoms in patients with laryngeal, pharyngeal and oesophageal diseases. Diagnostics need to consider the entire swallowing chain from the oral cavity to the stomach. However, there is a close relationship between diseases of the pharynx, larynx and oesophagus: gastrointestinal disorders, e.g. reflux disease, may show extraoesophageal manifestations in the pharynx and larynx, and in case of tumours in the upper aerodigestive tract or oesophagus, there may occur additional simultaneous tumours urging for early diagnosis.