Swallowing Disorders and Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction

A functional swallow involves the neuromuscular coordination of ingestion and digestion of food. Dysphagia is the term for abnormal swallowing, a discoordination of respiration, phonation, and digestion. Swallowing disorders can describe a simple abnormal sensation of swallow or a complex disorder leading to aspiration pneumonia. The most common cause of mortality and morbidity in dysphagia patients is aspiration pneumonia. Additional complications include malnutrition and dehydration. The prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia is up to 40% in adults over 65 and increases to 60% in institutionalized elderly. Oropharyngeal dysphagia is common after stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurologic disorders. Patients in high-risk groups and patients with signs and symptoms of dysphagia should be diagnosed appropriately to determine underlying cause and aspiration risk. This chapter will focus on dysphagia due to pharyngeal phase disorders and their diagnosis and treatments. This review contains 6 figures, 4 videos, 5 tables and 49 references. Key Words: dysphagia, swallowing, Zenker diverticulum, modified barium swallow, videofluoroscopic swallowing study, FEES, transnasal esophagoscopy, esophagram

Design and implementation of botulinum toxin on cricopharyngeal dysfunction guided by a combination of catheter balloon, ultrasound, and electromyography (BECURE) in patients with stroke: study protocol for a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

Background Cricopharyngeal dysfunction (CPD) occurs in various neurological disorders, especially stroke. The treatment approaches of CPD include swallowing training, cricopharyngeal dilation, botulinum toxin (BTX) injection, and cricopharyngeal myotomy. BTX injection into the cricopharyngeal muscle is effective and safe for some patients with dysphagia, with a success rate between 43 and 100% (mean = 76%). However, well-designed randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to verify its efficacy and safety for the treatment of CPD. The objective of this study is to explore the efficacy and safety of BTX for neurogenic cricopharyngeal achalasia, when administering an injection into the cricopharyngeal muscle guided by a novel precise positioning method, that combines ultrasound, catheter balloon, and electromyography (BECURE). Methods BECURE is a single-center randomized, placebo controlled, double-blinded, superiority clinical trial. To detect a significant difference between the 2 groups, a sample size of 44 patients is estimated. The intervention is BTX versus placebo, with 1:1 randomization. The randomization sequence from 1 to 44 was generated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The study is divided into two phases. In the first phase, patients will be injected with BTX or the placebo. In the second phase, patients who received a placebo injection and those who did not respond to the first BTX injection will receive an injection of BTX. The primary outcome is the score of the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS). The secondary outcomes are as follows: upper esophageal sphincter (UES) residual pressure, UES resting pressure, duration of UES relaxation, velopharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal peak pressure, UES opening, pharyngeal construction ratio, residue of bolus in the epiglottis valley or piriform sinus, and penetration and aspiration. Discussion Dysphagia is a common complication of stroke. There is lack of high-quality evidence for the efficacy of BTX in treating neurogenic CPD. This study will clarify whether BTX injection into the cricopharyngeal muscle can be effective and safe for patients with stroke and CPD. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR1900025562). Registered on September 1, 2019.

EXPRESS: Neural correlates of cricopharyngeal dysfunction after supratentorial stroke: A voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping with propensity score matched case-control

Background: Post-stroke cricopharyngeal dysfunction (CPD) has been reported to occur in 50% of brainstem strokes; however, CPD also occurs commonly in patients with supratentorial stroke. The hemispheric neuroanatomical location of this dysfunction has not been clearly identified. Aims: We aimed to analyze the relationship between CPD and supratentorial lesion location in post-stroke patients through this retrospective case-control voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping study. Methods: CPD was diagnosed when the residue after swallowing (PSR) accounted for more than 25% of volume of pyriform sinus. Medical records and the video fluoroscopic swallowing studies of first-ever stroke patients who were admitted to our hospital during acute to subacute phase from 2009 to 2019 were reviewed. After propensity score matching to reduce the likelihood of selection bias, 50 patients per group were included in the CPD and control groups. We used a P-threshold of 0.01 corrected for multiple comparisons with permutation thresholding (5,000 permutations). Dichotomized diagnosis of CPD and the magnitude of PSR were used as dependent variables. Results: Analysis using the Liebermeister statistics indicated that lesions of the right lentiform nucleus were associated with the development of CPD. After adjustment for age and total lesion volume, which are known effectors for the development of dysphagia, statistically significant correlations were found between PSR and lesions of the right lentiform nucleus and anterior corona radiata beneath the right middle frontal gyrus. Conclusion: Thus, our study demonstrated for the first time that damages to the right lentiform nucleus, especially globus pallidus externa, and anterior corona radiata beneath the right middle frontal gyrus are associated with the development and severity of CPD.

Cricopharyngeal myotomy for delayed Cricopharyngeal dysfunction after head and neck surgery – case report

Background Head and neck surgeries can perturb normal structures of neck muscles and nerve innervations, which are supposed to function in harmony to allow complicated process like swallowing. It is still likely that cricopharyngal dysfunction emerges years after the head and neck surgeries. Case presentation We report a case with history of left unilateral vocal cord immobility and development of dysphagia and aspiration 2 years after radical thyroidectomy with neck lymph nodes dissection and medialization thyroplasty. Cricopharyngeal dysfunction was impressed and was confirmed with visualization of cricopharyngeal narrowing segment in radiographic contrast swallow examination. The patient was treated successfully by cricopharyngeal myotomy, achieving long-term relief in our 4 years of follow up. Conclusions Our case of delayed cricopharyngal dysfunction after radical thyroidectomy and medialization thyroplasty shows that it is important to follow up swallowing functions after patients with UVCI undergo medialization thyroplasty. In the event of delayed manifestation of cricopharyngeal function, it can still be treated successfully by cricoharyngeal myotomy, achieving long term relief of dysphagia.

Balloon Catheter Dilatation for Treatment of a Patient With Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction After Thermal Burn Injury

Deglutition disorder is a clinical symptom that has been associated with inhalation and cutaneous thermal burn injuries. Deglutition disorder is present in approximately 11% of patients with burn injury and is known to persist for weeks to months postinjury. Here, we report a case of deglutition disorder associated with cricopharyngeal dysfunction in a patient with thermal burn injury. Two patients presented with deglutition disorder lasting for several weeks after thermal injury. Clinically, it manifested as combined liquid and solid food dysphagia. The findings of videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) were poor relaxation of the pharyngoesophageal sphincter (PES), decreased elevation of the laryngohyoid, and inadequate pharyngeal contraction. The PES was dilated with a 20-mm expansion balloon catheter multiple times. The symptoms of deglutition disorder were relieved immediately after the procedure. Balloon catheter dilatation was performed four times at 1- to 2-week intervals. Follow-up VFSS showed that poor relaxation of the PES was improved. The VFSS showed no recurrence at the 3-month follow-up. We found that balloon catheter dilatation for treatment of a patient with cricopharyngeal dysfunction after thermal burn injury was effective, ease of use, and safe.