Surface anesthesia and assisted balloon dilatation to treat dysphagia caused by radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effects of surface anesthesia on assisted balloon dilatation when treating dysphagia caused by radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods Fifty-four patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy were divided randomly into an anesthesia group and a non-anesthesia group.The anesthesia group received anesthetics before treatment while the non-anesthesia group did not.All of the patients were treated with low-frequency electrical stimulation and assisted balloon dilatation for 3 weeks.They were then assessed using videofluoroscopy and self-reports of difficulty in swallowing before and after the treatment.Results After the treatment, significant improvement was observed in pharyngeal delay time, in cricopharyngeal opening, and in laryngeal elevation and forwardness.There was also a significant decrease in self-reported swallowing difficulty and failed swallows in both groups compared with before the treatment.The improvements in the non-anesthesia group were significantly greater than in the anesthesia group.After the treatment, the average aspiration rate of the anesthesia group was significantly higher than before treatment and higher than that of the non-anesthesia group.The improvement in oral intake of the non-anesthesia group was significantly better than that of the anesthesia group.Conclusion Balloon dilatation and low-frequency electrical stimulation have a synergistic effect and can improve patients' swallowing after radiation-induced cranial nerve damage, thus promoting survival.Assisted balloon dilatation without anesthesia has a better effect than when surface anesthesia is used.