Dysphagia, defined as an abnormality in swallowing, can be one of the most difficult diagnostic challenges encountered in clinical veterinary practice. Normal swallowing is a well-coordinated process involving the tongue, hard and soft palate, pharyngeal muscles, esophagus, and gastroesophageal junction. As the muscles of the proximal digestive tract are predominantly striated, any disease that affects skeletal muscle is a possible cause of dysphagia. In addition to normally functioning striated muscle, the integrity of neuromuscular transmission and of several cranial nerves, including sensory and motor fibers of the trigeminal (CN V) and facial (CN VII) nerves, the glossopharyngeal (CN IX), vagus (CN X), and hypoglossal (CN XII) nerves, their nuclei in the brainstem, and the swallowing center in the brain reticular formation, are critical to the swallowing process. Difficulties in swallowing may be found in very young animals associated with congenital abnormalities, or as an acquired condition in mature animals. This discussion will focus on essential neuromuscular diagnostic procedures and on the most common neuromuscular disorders in which dysphagia may be the sole presenting clinical sign or associated with multiple clinical abnormalities.
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机译：吞咽困难，被定义为吞咽异常，可以是临床兽医惯例中遇到的最困难的诊断挑战之一。正常吞咽是一种良好的协调过程，涉及舌头，硬腭，咽部肌肉，食管和胃食管连接。由于近端消化道的肌肉主要是横纹，影响骨骼肌的任何疾病是吞咽困难的可能原因。除了正常运作的条纹肌肉外，神经肌肉传播的完整性和几种颅神经，包括三叉子（CN v）和面部（CN vii）神经的感官和电动纤维，术语（CN ix），迷走（Cn x ），并且脑干中的脑干中的核（CN XII）神经，脑网状形成的吞咽中心对吞咽过程至关重要。吞咽困难可以在与先天性异常相关的非常年轻的动物中发现，或作为成熟动物的获得条件。该讨论将专注于基本的神经肌肉诊断程序和最常见的神经肌肉障碍，其中吞咽困难可能是临床符号或与多种临床异常相关的唯一。
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