About This Service
UT Health Austin’s Pharyngeal High-Resolution Manometry service offers diagnosis, treatment, and management of dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, in adult patients (18 years and older). Pharyngeal high-resolution manometry is an in-office diagnostic test performed by a licensed speech-language pathologist to evaluate and compare the pressures generated by the pharyngeal muscles during swallowing. Unlike a barium swallow study, which captures images of the back of your mouth and throat (pharynx), pharyngeal high-resolution manometry measures swallow function in real time and provides data about which areas of the throat may not be functioning correctly. We use this data to create an informed treatment approach that is specific to you and may involve rehabilitation exercises to strengthen specific areas of the throat to help improve your function and overall quality of life.
UT Health Austin is the only clinic is Central Texas offering pharyngeal high-resolution manometry testing.
Treatment Approach
Pharyngeal high-resolution manometry involves gently placing a thin tube with multiple pressure sensors into the nose and down the throat until it reaches the top of the esophagus. The patient is then given different types of food and liquid to swallow, during which swallow pressures are recorded and displayed visually in real time for both the clinician and the patient to observe. Through this procedure, areas that indicate low pressures are identified and certain exercises or adjustments to the patient’s swallowing can be performed in real time to determine which forms of therapy may be effective in targeting low pressure areas.
At UT Health Austin, we take a multidisciplinary approach to your care. This means you will benefit from the expertise of multiple specialists across a variety of disciplines caring for you in one place. The Pharyngeal High-Resolution Manometry care team includes a licensed speech-language pathologist, neurologists, dietitians, social workers, and more who work together with your referring provider to ensure your care is delivered seamlessly.
We collaborate with our colleagues at the Dell Medical School and The University of Texas at Austin to utilize the latest research, diagnostic, and treatment techniques, allowing us to provide you with a comprehensive, coordinated care plan that incorporates cutting-edge medical treatment options specific to you.
Appointment Information
At UT Health Austin, we focus on you, the whole patient, making sure that you have the support you need throughout your care. Prior to your initial appointment, it is important that you gather as much information about your own medical history as possible. The Pharyngeal High-Resolution Manometry care team will identify any existing records of treatment in the UT Health Austin System and communicate with your referring provider to obtain needed medical records and other information. If you have received medical treatment from a provider other than your referring provider, your care team will contact you to receive a written Authorization to Receive Medical Records from your other provider(s).
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Our Facility
UT Health Austin is housed in the Health Transformation Building (HTB). The HTB is located in downtown Austin, TX on The University of Texas at Austin campus and neighbors the Dell Medical School research and learning buildings as well as the Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas.
This facility is outfitted with the latest state-of-the-art technology and organized to support an unmatched level of multidisciplinary care. Patients have access to all of the resources and amenities UT Health Austin has to offer, including attached garage parking, comfortable waiting areas, an on-site cafe, a full-service H-E-B pharmacy, advanced imaging and lab testing, and an Ambulatory Surgery Center for same-day surgical care.