Anterolateral extrapharyngeal approach for cervical osteophyte-induced dysphagia. Literature review.

While it is estimated that hypertrophic cervical osteophytes occur in up to 20% to 30% of the population, they are only rarely associated with dysphagia. Pathophysiologically, dysphagia may occur secondary to 1) mechanical compression with partial obstruction, or 2) periesophageal inflammation caused by pharyngoesophageal motion over the osteophytes. A careful history, indirect laryngoscopy, cineesophagography, and lateral cervical spine films establish the diagnosis in most patients. While routine rigid endoscopy is potentially hazardous in view of the recognized risk of inadvertent pharyngoesophageal perforation, it may be necessary in selected patients to rule out the presence of other more common causes of dysphagia. Conservative management consisting of sedation, antiinflammatory medication, and reassurance is often sufficient in patients with only mild to moderate and often transient symptoms. The value of surgical therapy for this disorder has been debated, but most agree that surgical excision is appropriate in selected patients whose symptoms are severe and progressive. In this report, two patients illustrate the dichotomy between and value of both conservative and surgical approaches. While both transoropharyngeal and transcervical extrapharyngeal surgical approaches have been used, a comprehensive review of the results of such procedures has not been reported. In this report a detailed description of the anterolateral extrapharyngeal approach for the excision of these osteophytes is given, and its value compared to other surgical techniques discussed.