Abstract
Cricopharyngeal myotomy is one of the most valuable surgical treatments for pharyngeal dysphagia. To improve surgical techniques of the myotomy, the authors investigated innervation pattern of the cricopharyngeal muscle through electromyographic and histochemical observations and measured the intraluminal pressure at the upper esophageal sphincter after various types of myotomy. The animals we used were dogs. Each half of the muscle was innervated by the ipsilateral pharyngo-esophageal branch of the vagal nerve. The muscular fibers arisen from the cricoid cartilage terminated on muscular fascia or mucous membrane around the posterior mid-line. In comparison with the unilateral myotomy, the bilateral myotomy decreased the resting pressure at the upper esophageal sphincter more effectively. From these findings, the bilateral myotomy at the lateral aspects of the cricopharyngeal muscle was recommended to obtain satisfactory and persistent surgical benefits.
