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Clinical aspects of pseudodysphagia.

Pseudodysphagia is the description of the sensation of a feeling of a lump in the throat--commonly known as the globus symptom. A prospective analysis of 145 consecutive patients with this symptom seen by an Otolaryngologist has provided confirmation that a high proportion of these patients have a treatable basis for their complaints and that most can be successfully managed without time-consuming and expensive investigations--provided clinical evaluation includes thorough visualisation of the oropharynx and supraglottis. The explanation for the symptomatology in patients who suffer from reflux oesophagitis is probably referred pain from the region of the lower oesophageal sphincter rather than spasm of the upper sphincter. The expression globus hystericus is outdated and should be discarded, and we recommended describing the symptoms as primary globus pharyngeus when there is no evident cause and secondary globus pharyngeus when the aetiology is detectable.

Adolescent↗

Globus hystericus: globus syndrome?

In a double-blind study, 22 patients with typical globus symptoms were investigated by both otolaryngological and odontological methods. All the patients underwent thorough hematological, endoscopic and radiological examinations. They were randomly divided into a treatment group and a placebo group and underwent either simple occlusal adjust or mock adjustment, respectively. The result of occlusal adjustment was assessed immediately after completion of treatment. The effect of treatment on globus symptoms was assessed 2 to 3 months later in a double-blind study. Binomial tests showed that there was a significant association between the success of occlusal adjustment and disappearance of the globus symptom. A new name for this disease is proposed: the globus syndrome.

Adult↗

Paradoxical vocal cord motion: an unusual cause of stridor.

Stridor due to obstructive causes is relatively common. Functional airway obstruction with paradoxical vocal cord motion is uncommon. Only 12 cases have been reported in the literature in the past 15 years. The majority were young female patients. We have recently encountered two cases. Lack of awareness of this condition caused several problems in management.

Adult↗

The globus syndrome: value of flexible endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Flexible endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract usually does not form part of the primary diagnostic evaluation of the globus syndrome. In a prospective trial, a flexible endoscopy was performed in 51 globus patients with normal results of the laryngologic and radiographic examination. Pathologic findings requiring therapy were diagnosed in 70.6 per cent of cases. The most frequent findings were reflux oesophagitis (n = 24; 47 per cent) and hiatal hernia (n = 25; 49 per cent). In 16 cases (31.4 per cent) these were accompanied by other pathologic lesions. A total of 32 patients (62.7 per cent) suffered from oesophageal diseases as sole aetiologic factors of the globus syndrome, which led us to postulate a causative relationship in these cases. Flexible endoscopy therefore can contribute significantly to the differential diagnosis of the globus syndrome. It must be kept in mind, however, that there is a 'blind zone' for endoscopic assessment in a region of the hypopharynx, thus some indications may require rigid endoscopy.

Adult↗

Can heterotopic gastric mucosa present as globus pharyngeus?

We present a series of four patients presenting with symptoms leading to a provisional diagnosis of globus pharyngeus. On further investigation, they were all found to have small areas of abnormal mucosa in either their hypopharynx or proximal oesophagus, which on biopsy were reported as containing gastric-type mucosa. Following anti-reflux treatment, all patients eventually reported a cessation of symptoms. All but one patient was followed up with repeat endoscopies. We highlight the fact that biopsies reporting gastric epithelium at this anatomical site are in keeping with the diagnosis of heterotopic gastric mucosa. We review the literature and report the high incidence and natural history of this condition. Heterotopic gastric mucosa can only be diagnosed on endoscopy and is easily missed, even during such an investigation. We raise the question of whether this condition may be one of a number of factors in the aetiology of globus pharyngeus.

Anti-Ulcer Agents↗

The diagnosis of 'hysteria'.

A study of 120 inpatients diagnosed as suffering from hysteria is presented and the validity of the diagnosis questioned. Clinical study showed that 13% showed only hysterical symptoms, 33% showed hysterical symptoms occuring with affective symptoms, 28% showed affective symptomatology only, and the remainder were either of other or uncertain diagnostic grouping. It is concluded that the 13% are suffering from a condition that can only be diagnosed as hysteria.

Adolescent↗

Hysteria--a neurologist's view.

Hysterical symptoms are defined as complaints that are not fully explained by organic or functional neurological disease. Hysterical symptoms are common in neurological practice, accounting for about 1% of neurological diagnoses. Of those with neurological hysterical symptoms, about 80% will not have the hysterical personality, and about 80% will not have Briquet's hysteria. Some 60% will have a physical disease and perhaps as many as 50% will have recognizable psychiatric illness, particularly depression. Others may have unrecognized physical or psychiatric illness. Many hysterical symptoms may be understood in terms of abnormal illness behaviour.

Adolescent↗

Dissociation of implicit and explicit knowledge in a case of psychogenic retrograde amnesia.

There have been few studies of psychogenic amnesia based on a cognitive or neuropsychological framework. In the present study, a patient with acute onset of profound psychogenic retrograde amnesia was examined. Although her performance on neuropsychological tasks revealed intact anterograde memory, language functioning, visuospatial and constructional skills, and mental speed and flexibility, she displayed severe impairments on a variety of retrograde memory tasks. Furthermore, initial observations revealed inconsistencies between the patient's recall of semantic knowledge on direct questioning and her ability to demonstrate the use of this knowledge on indirect tasks. To test this formally, we devised an indirect remote knowledge task to examine a possible dissociation between explicit and implicit memory. Two healthy subjects matched for age, gender, education, occupation, and estimated IQ were also tested. As predicted, the findings demonstrate implicit knowledge despite impaired explicit recall for the same material.

Amnesia, Retrograde↗

Globus sensation is associated with hypertensive upper esophageal sphincter but not with gastroesophageal reflux.

Globus sensation (globus) is best described as a constant feeling of a lump or fullness in the throat. Although the etiology of globus remains unclear, it has been attributed to a hypertensive upper esophageal sphincter (UES) resting pressure and to gastroesophageal reflux (GER). The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine if significant associations existed among globus, UES resting pressure, and GER. We reviewed the records of all patients who had stationary esophageal manometry over a 21/2-year interval with specific attention to symptoms of globus, UES pressures, and ambulatory pH studies. Patients with hypotensive UES (<30 mm Hg) were excluded. Chi square (chi2) test was used to determine significant associations. Six hundred fifty patients had normal UES resting pressures and 101 patients had hypertensive UES (>118 mm Hg). Seventeen of the 650 (3%) (16 women/1 man; mean age: 48, range 32-81 years) with normal UES described globus. Conversely, 28 of the 101 (28%) (15 women/13 men; mean age: 43, range 23-61 years) patients with hypertensive UES described globus. There was a significant association between hypertonicity of the UES and globus (chi2=93.42, P < 0.0001). In patients with normal UES, globus occurred predominantly in females (chi2=6.33, P < 0.01). Twenty-three (16 women/7 men; mean age: 43, range 23-60 years) of the 45 patients with globus had prior ambulatory pH studies. Six of 23 (26%) had GER. Compared to an age-, sex-, and UES-pressure-matched group of 23 patients (16 women/7 men; mean age: 44, range 22-75 years) without globus, nine (39%) had GER, thus showing no significant association of globus with GER (P=0.35). There also was no significant association of GER with normal UES or with hypertensive UES in these patients. In conclusion, there is a significant association between hypertensive UES and globus. The data suggest two possible etiologies: female patients with normal UES pressure potentially having increased afferent sensation and a group with equal sex distribution but abnormally elevated UES resting pressure. This study does not support GER as an etiology of globus.

Adult↗

[Interviewing the patient--an "impossible" task].

A patient with atypical facial pain (conversion symptom) is presented, who had to suffer for more than 10 years, because physicians were unable to conduct a biopsychosocial interview. The characteristics of hard and soft data are mentioned. The significance of empathy for the data collection is stressed. The relationship between empathy and countertransference feelings is briefly discussed.

Aged↗

[Can psychosomatic concepts make a contribution in surgery?].

All medical reasoning and action is based on a medical theory. Johannes Müller, the renowned 19th century physiologist, stated: "What we experience with our senses is not a mirror of objects characteristics, but rather depends on the living organism's interpretation of sense-receptor stimulation." A mechanistic model of medicine which does not reflect on and include individual reality and the influence of personality and personal history subjects patients to the danger of surgery; psychosomatic concepts reduce this danger. If the surgeon integrates (not adds!) the psychological and social dimensions in his theory of medicine, then the question of what psychosomatic concepts can contribute to surgery is answered: A patient with atypical facial pain due to a conversion reaction will not be operated. Patients will be dismissed and return home earlier after hip-joint operations. Persons with a strong body fixation and pain masking their fantasies of invulnerability (narcissistic block) will not be subjected surgery. Women with abdominal pain connected with childhood sexual abuse will not be submitted to operations in the genital area etc.

Adult↗