Abstract
We devised an operation to reinforce a paralyzed pharyngeal wall with polypropylene mesh, which was made for the treatment of an abdominal wall hernia as a new type of surgical treatment. We evaluated 8 cases that underwent an operation of pharyngeal wall reinforcement for the treatment of dysphagia associated with unilateral pharyngeal paralysis from January, 2005 to December, 2006. The pharyngeal clearance improved in 6 cases, except for 2 cases who showed poor swallowing initiation. This surgical technique is considered to be useful for treating unilateral pharyngeal paralysis by raising the stiffness of not only the pyriform sinus but also the walls from the oropharynx to the hypopharynx, thereby effectively increasing the deglutition pressure of the undamaged side.
