The influence of age and gender on the pharyngeal pressure wave during
swallowing was investigated in 73 healthy volunteers using a four-sen
sor manometry probe. The distal sensor was placed within the upper oes
ophageal sphincter (UOS) and three proximal sensors were located in th
e pharynx 2.4 and 6 cm above the UOS. Twenty-nine variables describing
the amplitude and timing of the swallow waveforms for a 5 ml water bo
lus were recorded from the pharynx and the UOS. Analysis of the result
s indicated that ageing was associated with slowing of the swallow res
ponse in the pharynx, impaired opening of the UOS and a marked reducti
on in resting UOS tone.