Pharmacotherapy of UES spastic disorder

Abstract

Botulinum toxin injections have been used in upper esophageal dysfunction since 1994, currently with several hundred reported cases of swallowing improvement. Several themes are present in the majority of the published case series, relative ease of injection technique, high reported success rates and very low complication rates. The final consistent theme was a call for large series and prospective research to guide clinical care. The combination of low complication rate combined with the relative ease of performing the procedure compared to a surgical cricopharyngeal myotomy makes botulinum toxin injection an appealing therapeutic option in appropriate patients.