title: Videofluoroscopy-guided balloon dilatation for treatment of severe pharyngeal dysphagia.
abstract: Balloon dilatation is a widely accepted technique in the management of esophageal and other types of gastrointestinal strictures, but it is rarely used for the treatment of pharyngeal dysphagia. Therefore, the aim of our prospective study was to evaluate the use of videofluoroscopy-guided balloon dilatation (VGBD) for the treatment of severe pharyngeal dysphagia. The study included 32 stroke patients who had been diagnosed with oral and/or pharyngeal dysphagia. All patients underwent dilatation of the esophageal inlet using a balloon catheter under videofluoroscopic guidance during one or more sessions. Following esophageal dilatation, manual feeding was provided twice weekly. VGBD was effective in 10 out of 32 patients; however, the remaining 22 patients were unable to attempt oral food consumption because aspiration was not completely resolved on videofluoroscopy. According to this case series, VGBD may provide treatment for patients with severe pharyngeal dysphagia, who have not consumed food orally for a long period of time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Katsuragi Hospital, Osaka, Japan; Department of Gerontological Nursing/Wound Care Management, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yabunaka
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Gojiro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nakagami
authors.forename: Jyunko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sanada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010614:Pharynx / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery / Q000379:methods*