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Maneuver to assist examination of the hypopharynx
1Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Oncology, Royal Melbourne-Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Background:
The lower hypopharynx, lying posterior to the larynx, is not usually assessable during outpatient examination. A maneuver was developed to assist flexible endoscopic examination of this region. The discomfort experienced by fifty consecutive patients undergoing the maneuver was assessed together with the view obtained.
Method:
Fifty patients assigned scores from 0 to 10 to the discomfort experienced during manual anterosuperior traction applied to the prelaryngeal skin, together with two other commonly performed procedures. The view obtained in the last 30 patients was assessed.
Results:
The mean discomfort score for the maneuver was 3.77, compared with 3.84 and 5.94 for the other two procedures. A view to the cricoarytenoid joint or below was obtained in 60% of the patients assessed.
Conclusions:
We conclude that the maneuver is well tolerated and results in a useful view of the hypopharynx in the majority of patients. No prior report of this maneuver has been found in the literature.