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Dysphagia Due to Forestier Disease: Three Cases and Systematic Literature Review

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Abstract

Forestier disease or diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is an uncommon cause of dysphagia. Due to rarity of this condition there is neither any demographic data nor any consensus about the investigation and treatment modalities. Here an effort is made in the present article to compile the information regarding the demographic and clinical features, investigation modalities and different methods of treatment from all the available case reports of dysphagia due to Forestier disease in the English literature till date. Three cases of the same condition are also reported in the present paper. Three cases of dysphagia due to Forestier disease treated in the ENT department of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital are reported herewith. A systematic review of literature is also done. All the case reports of dysphagia due to Forestier disease are obtained by World Wide Web search (WWWS) using ‘Forestier Disease’, ‘DISH’ and ‘dysphagia’ as the key words. Data regarding age, sex, duration of the symptom, associated symptoms, investigations done, level of vertebrae involved and different modalities of treatment with result are collected and analyzed systematically. We found total 73 cases of dysphagia due to Forestier disease. The condition commonly affects males (M:F 5.64:1) in older age group (94.52% cases are 60 years or above), often presented to the treatment facility after a long time of initiation of the symptom. Barium swallow X-rays and lateral neck X-ray were the most common investigations done to arrive at a diagnosis as per result of systematic review. Surgical removal of the causative osteophytes were the definitive treatment, but if surgery is contraindicated, conservative measures like switchover to liquid and semisolid food and proper swallow training also improve the condition to some extent. Dysphagia due to Forestier disease mostly affects older male, often has a chronic course. It can be diagnosed with simple investigations like neck X-ray or barium swallow X-rays. The definitive treatment is surgical, but if contraindicated the problem can be palliated with simple measures like swallow training and change of food.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare presence of no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, Room No. 07, K.B Hostel; 1, Khudiram Bose Sarani, Kolkata, 700004, West-Bengal, India

    Ankur Mukherjee

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, 1, Khudiram Bose Sarani, Kolkata, 700004, West-Bengal, India

    Sirshak Dutta, Kaustuv Das Biswas, Asimjiban Basu, Indranil Sen & Ramanuj Sinha

  3. Department of Otolaryngology, N.R.S. Medical College, Kolkata, India

    Saumik Das

  4. 3/1, Bose Para Lane, Hooghly, Baidyabati, 712222, India

    Sirshak Dutta

  5. 369/1, Avishikta-1,Purbachal, Kalitala Road, Kolkata, 700078, India

    Kaustuv Das Biswas

  6. 402, Sitalchhaya Apartment, VIP Road, Kolkata, 700159, India

    Asimjiban Basu

  7. CE 166, Sector 1, Salt Lake City, Kolkata, 700064, India

    Saumik Das

  8. 55/2, Desbandhu Road (East), Kolkata, 700035, India

    Indranil Sen

  9. 4A, 2/1, Purbachal, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700091, India

    Ramanuj Sinha

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  1. Sirshak Dutta
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Correspondence to Ankur Mukherjee.

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Dutta, S., Biswas, K.D., Mukherjee, A. et al. Dysphagia Due to Forestier Disease: Three Cases and Systematic Literature Review. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 66 (Suppl 1), 379–384 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-011-0334-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-011-0334-3

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