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Esophageal Dysfunction and other Swallowing Difficulties in Early Life

Abnormal patterns of swallowing may be noted at any stage of life, from the moment of birth to extreme old age, and the causes of such disturbances are legion. Localized congenital malformations as well as acquired organic obstructions have been well documented in the past and cannot be considered here. At both ends of the life span troublesome dysfunctions often associated with systemic disease or with some general physiologic derangement frequently occur. Diagnosis as well as treatment of such conditions often presents considerable difficulty. Obviously, time will not permit even a brief discussion of the more commonly encountered causes of dysphagia in early life, such as esophageal atresia, tracheoesophageal fistula, congenital webs, stenosis, duplications, compression from abnormal great vessels, the "short" esophagus and many others. I should like to call attention to a few conditions which are less commonly considered in a differential diagnosis of swallowing dysfunctions in infants and young children, especially by those who deal infrequently with pediatric problems.