Endoscopic Treatment of Benign Hypopharyngeal Tumors

Choi, Jong Hwan; Park, Jong Jae; Jee, Joong Bae; Hyun, Jong Jin; Kim, Se Yun; Kim, Ji Hyun; Kim, Byung Kyu; Kim, Ji Hoon; Chang, Yun Jung; Kim, Cheol Hyun; Seo, Youn Suk; Kim, Jin Yong; Kim, Jae Seon; Bak, Young Tae

Abstract

During endoscopy, most endoscopists insert endoscopes into the esophagus without visual aid in order to minimize the discomfort to patients. However, studies have shown that visual guided insertion imposes little discomfort, is safe and can increase the diagnostic rate of abnormal pathology of the throat. As for the treatment of hypopharyngeal lesions, cases of endoscopic treatment are rare and any guidelines have not been clearly defined yet. However, endoscopic treatment may be feasible in selected cases. Several procedures, such as endoscopic mucosal resection with cap (EMR-C) and saline injection polypectomy can be applied. We experienced seven patients who had benign hypopharyngeal masses that were removed endoscopically without serious complications. Compared to surgical treatment, endoscopic removal of the benign hypopharyngeal tumors does not require general anesthesia; it is simple, less invasive and less costly. Therefore, endoscopy should be regarded as a treatment option. However, further studies are required before widespread application of endoscopic removal for the definitive treatment of hypopharyngeal masses, including malignancies.