| Objective: To explore the efficacy of modified ice-water circulating balloon dilation technology in post-stroke cricopharyngeal achalasia patients, particularly its improvement effects on abnormal pharyngeal reflex and swallowing rehabilitation. Methods: Thirty-three stroke patients with cricopharyngeal achalasia and abnormal pharyngeal reflexes were randomly assigned to either modified ice-water cyclic balloon dilation group(n=18) or conventional catheter dilation group(n=15). Both groups received daily 30-min sessions (5 days/week). Outcomes were assessed before and after 4 weeks of treatment (or earlier if oral feeding resumed), including pharyngeal reflex recovery, dysphagia improvement (clinical efficacy scores), and safety (pain, mucosal bleeding, laryngeal edema). Differences between groups were statistically compared. Results: The observation group achieved a 100% effective rate in swallowing recovery post-treatment, compared to 93.33% in the control group, with comparable differences between groups. The observation group demonstrated statistically significant superiority in treatment duration (P<0.05) and post-treatment pharyngeal reflex scores (P<0.05). Both groups showed marked improvement in clinical efficacy scores for dysphagia (P<0.05), and the final score of clinical efficacy of swallowing disorder in the obser-vation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Notably, the observation group exhibited lower incidence of pain, laryngeal edema, and mucosal bleeding than the control group (P<0.05), indicating enhanced safety. Conclusion: The modified ice-water circulating balloon dilation technology exhibits significant advantages in improving swallowing rehabilitation for post-stroke cricopharyngeal achalasia patients, effectively ameliorating abnormal pharyngeal reflex. It warrants clinical promotion. |
