[Dysphagia in olivopontocerebellar atrophy]

Clinical, radiological and manometric studies on thirteen patients with olivopontocerebellar atrophy were performed in order to investigate the characteristics of dysphagia. As a clinical study, a detailed history of dysphagia was taken to distinguish two types of dysphagia, that is to say swallowing disturbance in a narrow sense and passage disturbance. In the radiological study, each phase of swallowing was observed by X-rays with contrast medium (Dionosil). In the manometric study, intraluminal resting pressure in the esophagus and pressure of esophageal contraction after swallowing were measured. The results were as follows: Eight patients had the sensation of swallowing disturbance in a narrow sense and five patients has the feeling of passage disturbance. In X-ray studies four patients had pooling in piriformis sinus and six patients had slight dilatation of the lower esophagus. In manometric studies, six patients had low intraluminal resting pressure of the upper esophageal sphincter, but almost all patients had normal intraluminal resting pressure throughout the esophagus and in the lower esophageal sphincter. Two patients, who had suffered for five and seven years, had loss of both negative and positive wave in the upper esophageal sphincter after swallowing. Another three patients, who had suffered for two, six and seven years, respectively had loss of negative wave in the upper esophageal sphincter after swallowing. Regarding peristaltic wave, eight patients had low amplitude of the wave. Two patients, who had suffered for five and six years, had diphasic shape of the wave. One patient, who had suffered for nine years, had synchronous wave. Nine patients had loss of negative wave in the lower esophageal sphincter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)