Oropharyngoesophageal scintigraphy in the evaluation of swallowing disorders after surgery for oral cancer.

In patients who undergo oral surgery for neoplasms of the hard or soft palate, difficulties of the oral and pharyngeal swallowing phases (nasal reflux and dysphagia) may persist. To show these alterations, the authors performed oropharyngoesophageal scintigraphy (OPES) on such a patient, administering 10 ml water with 37 MBq (1 mCi) Tc-99m sulfur colloid and acquiring sequential images (480 frames in 60 seconds). The OPES images and time-activity curves derived from regions of interest were normal in a preoperative study. However, postoperative images showed disagreement between the oral and pharyngeal phases, with changes consistent with nasal reflux. OPES is a simple and sensible technique to evaluate these disorders.