Hydrostatic balloon dilatation of pharyngeal stricture under local anaesthetic

Balloon dilatation is well established in the management of enteric strictures. The use of this technique in the pharynx has been reported under radiological and endoscopic guidance. We describe the hydrostatic dilatation of a benign pharyngeal stricture in a laryngectomy patient under local anaesthetic, without radiological guidance, in the ENT out-patient department. This procedure was effective and well tolerated in a patient who required regular dilatations.