Self-Study: Clinical Overview of Esophageal Function and Disorders Part 1

Patheous Health Imaging and Patheous Health Education officially closes on March 31, 2026. Any learner who satisfactorily completes a self-study course by midnight EST on March 31st, with the intention to earn ASHA CEUs, will be reported to the ASHA CE Registry. It is our understanding that educational content will still be available after March 31st until August 1st. Self-study courses completed after March 31st will not be reported to the ASHA CE Registry. Learners will obtain a certificate of completion verifying the number of Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned. Documentation should be kept and tracked by the learner.


Course Description

Comprehensive clinical decision-making guidance for oropharyngeal and esophageal swallowing disorders. This includes a review of medical history and medications, detailed clinical interviewing to understand symptom patterns and patient-reported concerns, and skilled bedside swallow evaluations. When indicated, instrumental assessments further clarify physiology and identify underlying impairments. Synthesizing these components will allow clinicians to differentiate contributing factors, determine the nature and severity of dysfunction, and write thoughtful evaluations.  

Learning Objectives 

  • Identify and understand the anatomy of the esophagus 
  • Name and describe common esophageal disorders 
  • Describe the relationship between the oropharyngeal swallow and the esophageal swallow  

 

Agenda 

  • 00:00: Anatomy and Physiology of the Esophagus  
  • 12:00 Esophageal Disorders and Dysfunction 
  • 20:00 Relationship between oropharyngeal and esophageal swallow 
  • 28:00: Review, References  
  • 30:00  Adjourn (Post Test) 



Refund Policy

No refunds issued for self-study courses

Webinar Notice

Successful participation in this course includes completion of the post-test with a score of 80% or higher, then participants will automatically receive a course completion certificate.

This course is offered for 0.5 Professional Development Hours. 

If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or call 877-390-1887.

Instructor(s)

Vanessa Peregrim Lauf, M.S., CCC-SLP, BCS-S Vanessa Peregrim Lauf

Vanessa Peregrim Lauf received her Masters in SLP from Loyola University in 2006. She received her BCS-S in 2017. She has been working for Patheous Health formerly Carolina Speech since 2016. She is currently the clinical manager for Patheous Health for the Northeast region, based out of Baltimore, MD. Prior to working for PH, she worked in acute care for University of Maryland Medical Center. She was also an adjunct faculty member for Loyola University in ethics and advanced dysphagia for more than 7 years. She has also presented lectures and posters at the state and national conferences. Instructor Disclosure: Ms. Lauf has the following financial relationship to disclose: she is a salaried employee of Patheous Health. Ms. Lauf has no non-financial relationships to disclose