[Upper functional dysphagia. Apropos of 33 cases]

Upper functional dysphagia, occurring in the absence of tumoral obstruction, includes swallowing disorders caused by a disturbance of the reflex, velopharyngoesophageal time of deglutition. Thirty-three patients with such disorders have been studied. Fourteen suffered from a neurologic affection (including 4 brainstem tumors and 6 cerebrovascular neurologic disease), 10 from myopathy, 9 from a localized affection of the upper sphincter of the esophagus. Diverticula were excluded from this study. The exploration resorted to fiberendoscopy of esophageal follow-through, pharyngoesophageal manometry, radiocinema, and MRI for some of the latter patients. Cricopharyngeal myotomy was carried out in 16 of these patients, with good results in 10 and failures in 6. The role of the various additional examinations and of myotomy is discussed.