[Upper esophageal sphincter bolus flow laterality after unilateral neck dissection].

The unilateral bolus passage through the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) is often observed in swallow evaluations of patients following neck dissection. Head rotation toward the paretic side was reported to be useful to prevent aspiration; however, we often encounter cases of head and neck surgical patients in which the bolus passes through the non-surgical side. Therefore, we investigated UES flow after head and neck surgery to evaluate the laterality to find an effective treatment technique after a head and neck operation. Videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) were conducted in 23 oral cancer patients who underwent unilateral neck dissection but not tongue resection. Patients comprised 12 males and 11 females, with a mean age of 62 (SD=14) years. Preoperative VFSS showed that none had a predominant side for UES flow. The laterality of the bolus flow through the UES was predominantly on the side of neck dissection in post-operation. Lateral VFSS showed elevation of the hyoid and the larynx on the non-dissected side was greater compared to the dissected side. Therefore, head rotation toward non-dissected side can be effective for head and neck surgical patients.