What is the medical term for the sensation of choking and food sticking in the back of the throat?

Medical Terms for Choking and Food Sticking in the Throat

The medical term for the sensation of choking and food sticking in the back of the throat is "dysphagia," specifically "oropharyngeal dysphagia" when it involves difficulty initiating swallowing or transferring food from the mouth to the esophagus. 1

Types of Swallowing Disorders

Dysphagia can be classified based on the phase of swallowing affected:

1. Oropharyngeal dysphagia: Difficulty initiating swallowing and transferring food from the mouth to the esophagus 1

   • Typical symptoms: food sticking in the throat, coughing/choking during swallowing, nasal-quality voice, food dribbling from mouth
   • Often associated with neurological conditions (stroke, Parkinson's disease), head and neck cancer, or aging

2. Esophageal dysphagia: Difficulty moving food through the esophagus 2

   • May present differently depending on cause:
     • If initially affecting only solids but progressing to include liquids: suggests mechanical issue (tumor, stricture)
     • If affecting both solids and liquids from onset: suggests motor problem (achalasia)

3. Globus sensation/Globus pharyngeus: A related but distinct condition 3, 4

   • Persistent or intermittent non-painful sensation of a lump in the throat
   • Unlike true dysphagia, globus sensation:
     • Disappears completely during eating or drinking
     • Does not actually impair swallowing function
     • Often has psychogenic factors or is related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Pathophysiology of Swallowing

Normal swallowing involves three phases that must be precisely coordinated 2:

1. Oral preparatory phase: Food is prepared by chewing and mixing with saliva
2. Oral phase: Food is collected into a cohesive bolus and propelled toward the pharynx
3. Pharyngeal phase: Series of events including airway protection and propulsion of food
4. Esophageal phase: Peristaltic wave moves food through the esophagus

Dysphagia occurs when there are impairments in planning, coordination, timing, or anatomical structural displacement during these phases 2.

Complications of Dysphagia

Dysphagia can lead to serious complications:

• Aspiration pneumonia: Food or liquid enters the airway and lungs 1
  • Up to 55% of patients who aspirate may not exhibit protective cough reflexes (silent aspiration) 1
• Malnutrition and weight loss due to inadequate food intake 1
• Dehydration from reduced fluid intake

Related Conditions

When evaluating a patient with throat discomfort, it's important to distinguish between:

• Dysphagia: Actual difficulty swallowing
• Globus pharyngeus/sensation: Feeling of a lump without swallowing difficulty 3, 5
• Odynophagia: Pain during swallowing (different from both dysphagia and globus)

Diagnostic Approach

For patients presenting with symptoms of choking or food sticking in the throat, the American College of Radiology recommends:

• Biphasic esophagram as an initial diagnostic test (95% sensitivity for detecting lower esophageal rings and peptic strictures) 1
• Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) as the gold standard for evaluating swallowing dynamics 1
• Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) to visualize pharyngeal and laryngeal anatomy during swallowing 1

Screening tools like the EAT-10 questionnaire (sensitivity 86%, specificity 76%) can help identify patients who need further evaluation 1.

Remember that dysphagia can be present without obvious symptoms, with silent aspiration occurring in up to 22% of patients, emphasizing the need for proper diagnostic evaluation 1.