swallowing (redirected from gulp)

swallowing /swal·low·ing/ (swahl´o-ing) the taking in of a substance through the mouth and pharynx, past the cricopharyngeal sphincter, through the esophagus, and into the stomach.

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swallowing,

n See deglutition.

swallowing threshold,

n See threshold, swallowing.

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swallowing

the taking in of a substance through the mouth and pharynx and into the esophagus. It is a combination of a voluntary act and a series of reflex actions. Once begun, the process operates automatically. Called also deglutition.

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swallowing disorders

difficulty in swallowing may be caused by foreign body obstruction, by inflammation of the lining or by a defect in nervous control. The nerves involved are the sensory and motor branches of the trigeminal nerve, the hypoglossal, the facial and the glossopharyngeal nerves. Called also dysphagia.

swallowing reflex

begins as soon as the bolus of ingesta approaches the entry to the pharynx. In a series of reflex actions: breathing is halted, the soft palate elevates and closes the entrance to the nasal cavities, the tongue is clamped into the fauces, closing the exit from the pharynx back into the mouth, the epiglottis closes off the larynx, the pharynx contracts and forces the bolus into the esophagus, peristalsis-like movements in the esophagus carry the food to the cardia which relaxes and the food is propelled into the stomach. Called also palatal reflex.

repeated swallowing

a sign of partial esophageal obstruction.