Dysphagia for Solids that Stick

CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS MANUAL

Dysphagia for solids that stick is a difficulty swallowing solid foods that tend to become lodged in the oesophagus. This condition may indicate an underlying pathology affecting oesophageal motility or structure.

Dysphagia may be progressive and, in some cases, may be accompanied by pain during swallowing (odynophagia). Identifying the cause of dysphagia is essential to provide appropriate treatment and improve the patient’s quality of life.

Pathology	Symptoms and Clinical Signs	Presumptive Diagnosis	Confirmatory Diagnosis
Oesophageal Disorders	Dysphagia for solids, sensation of a foreign body in the oesophagus, regurgitation, chest pain	Clinical history, physical examination, history of oesophageal disease	Oesophageal endoscopy, barium swallow, oesophageal manometry
Oesophageal Carcinoma	Progressive dysphagia for solids, weight loss, chest pain, odynophagia, regurgitation	Clinical history, physical examination	Endoscopy with biopsy, chest and abdominal CT scan
Cardia Carcinoma	Dysphagia for solids, weight loss, epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, early satiety	Clinical history, physical examination	Endoscopy with biopsy, abdominal CT scan, abdominal MRI
External Oesophageal Compression	Dysphagia for solids, compression symptoms (cough, dyspnoea), chest pain	Clinical history, physical examination, compression symptoms	Chest CT scan, chest MRI, endoscopic ultrasound
Other Causes	Variable symptoms depending on the underlying pathology, dysphagia, chest pain	Clinical history, physical examination	Specific tests according to clinical suspicion