What causes grains of food to be stuck on throat?

Posted on Thu, 28 May 2015

Question: When my husband eats a food like grits or rice, it will get "stuck" at the top of his throat and he has to wait ten minutes before he can resume eating. Large food does not cause this problem for him. What could be causing this?

Answered by Dr. Riyanka Chail (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Could be neurogenic problem or anatomical problems

Detailed Answer:

Hello madam,
Thanks for writing in to us at hcm.

This is Dr.Riyanka and I am glad to be helping you with your query.

Nasal Regurgitation usually occurs in various conditions:

1. Neurogenic problems- for example when the vagus nerve is affected . This can be
accompanied with a change in the voice i.e;nasal twang is added to the
voice.

2. Certain surgeries like adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy that have altered the
anatomy of that region causing food to enter the nasal cavity.

Kindly consult an otorhinolaryngologist /ENT doctor for further investigations like:

1. Laryngoscopy
2. Flexible Endoscopy

These investigations will help in diagnosing the underlying problem causing repeated nasal regurgitation.

Hope this answers your query. Don't worry .
Do write back if you have any further doubts.

Get well soon
Dr.Riyanka

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Neel Kudchadkar