If the muscles of your upper swallowing tube become too tight it can create abnormally high pressures in your throat when you swallow. Overtime this can create an outpouching the lining of the throat. This is known as a pharyngeal pouch. They can cause symptoms such as swallowing problems but may also cause regurgitation of food, food spilling into the windpipe, coughing and choking, or a gurgling sound in the neck after eating.
Pharyngeal pouches are usually easy to diagnose and the best test for diagnosis is known as a barium swallow. Pharyngeal pouches that cause symptoms can be treated with surgery. There are two approaches to surgery. Most commonly it is performed through the mouth although it can be performed through the neck. We are happy to discuss which approach best suits you and tailor the treatment to your specific needs.
