Cineradiography in 45 patients with acute dysphagia.

The function of the pharyngoesophageal stage of deglutition was studied by cineradiography in 45 patients with an acute onset of dysphagia. None of the patients had any radiographically detectable foreign body in the pharynx or esophagus. In 34 of the patients (76%) a functional or morphodynamic abnormality was disclosed; a defective closure of the laryngeal vestibule (26 patients), defective movements of the epiglottis (18 patients), uncoordinated relaxation of the cricopharyngeal muscle (14 patients), paresis of pharyngeal constrictor muscles (9 patients), and cervical webs (9 patients). In 21 of the patients more than 1 type of dysfunction was present. The results of this study suggest that cineradiography of the pharyngoesophageal stage of deglutition is useful in patients with acute dysphagia, without a foreign body, as functional abnormalities often can explain the patients' complaints.