Solving dysphagia due to cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction with botulinum toxin.

abstract not available ...We agree that manometric contribution may be applied selectively, depending on the specific issues raised by the evaluation of dysphagia. Nevertheless, videofluoroscopic evaluation is structured to detect and analyze functional impairment of the swallowing mechanism [11]. Although endoscopic examination of the oropharynx may suggest the main abnormality of the swallow, the characterization of the temporal disruption of swallowing coordination and identification of the underlying mechanism leading to that dysfunction require videofluoroscopic examination. The study of videofluoroscopic swallowing must be viewed as the primary evaluation modality for cricopharyngeal dysphagia. The video barium swallow also provides information about the risk of aspiration for a variety of bolus volumes and consistencies. Furthermore, the procedure allows for testing of the efficacy of botulinum toxin treatment...