Dynamics of swallowing in tetanus.

An 82-year-old man developed an uncommon type of swallowing disturbance with tetanus. Initially, he could masticate his food but could not pass it into the esophagus. The mechanism of swallowing in this patient was studied radiologically and endoscopically. The disturbance in the second stage of deglutition was associated predominantly with his advanced age and the slow clinical progress of the tetanus. The patient was cured by treating the disease.