The Clinical Significance of a Lump in the Throat

Globus Sensation

“…The affiliations of the authors appear in the acknowledgment section at the end of the article. of the tongue, 15 hyperplastic lingual 16,17 and pharyngeal tonsils, 18 cervical lymph nodes, 19 postcricoidal webs, 17 goiter, 17 thyroid tumors, 18 cervical osteophytes 17,19 or arthrosis, 20 and an increased tension of the pharyngeal muscles. 16 Paraesophageal masses, 18 carcinoma, 21 gastroduodenal lesions, 17 and hiatal hernias 17,22,23 also have been thought to underlie the sensation.…”

History of Otolaryngology: Globus Pharyngeus as “Globus Hystericus”

“…Interestingly, he observed that patients with some of these signs usually had consumption of tobacco or alcohol. 8 By the 1960s, the association between GP and reflux was suspected by Malcolmson, 9 and Delahunty and Ardran 10 noted a high percentage of hiatal hernia in patients with GP. In 1965, Slater observed that 75% of patients with GP who were diagnosed as hysterical were in fact experiencing organic disorders and had no hysteria, concluding that the diagnosis of hysteria was a fertile source of clinical error.…”

“…As otolaryngology emerged in the 20th century, some seminal studies began to change how the specialty treated GP, especially after the Second World War. In 1959, Tremble described many observed findings, including hypertrophied follicles on the posterior pharyngeal wall, lingual tonsil hypertrophy, pharyngitis, and cricopharyngeal sphincter dysfunction 8 —changes that today might be attributed to laryngopharyngeal reflux. Interestingly, he observed that patients with some of these signs usually had consumption of tobacco or alcohol 8 …”

The relationship of the ‘inferior constrictor swallow’ and ‘globus hystericus’ or the hypopharyngeal syndrome

“…The symptoms are varied and dent of radiological findings, psychosomatic the patients usually find difficulty in describ-condition (Puhakka et al, 1976), or hypering their sensations. It must be stressed that ventilation (Lum, 1975 of the lingual tonsil is usually due to an infection-most likely a surface viral infection (Mohun, 1955;Tremble, 1959) which is likely to persist. It may follow irritation from passage of a tube associated with an operation.…”