title: Scintigraphic assessment of swallow efficiency postlaryngectomy.
abstract: There have been reports of a high incidence of hypopharyngeal stenosis in total laryngectomy patients when the surgery requires a partial pharyngectomy for pyriform sinus involvement. In this study, three groups were compared: total laryngectomy patients without partial pharyngectomy, total laryngectomy patients with partial pharyngectomy, and normal controls. All patients had received radiation therapy following surgery. All were maintaining oral nutrition, and none complained of dysphagia. Patients were tested between 1 and 7 months postradiation therapy, with a mean of 3 months. Measures of swallowing efficiency were based on scintigraphic data for a liquid swallow. Patients with partial pharyngectomy had abnormally long oropharyngeal transit times and low efficiency scores. For a subgroup of patients with partial pharyngectomy, swallowing data were available postsurgery and postradiation therapy. Postsurgery this patient group did not differ significantly from normal patients in swallowing efficiency, and swallowing efficiency deteriorated in postradiation therapy. This scintigraphic methodology is shown to be a sensitive method of assessing swallowing function in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hamlet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stachler
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Salwen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muz
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Heilbrun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D010611:Pharyngectomy / Q000379:methods*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid