Study on the rhinopharynx neoplasms

In order to receive the food bolus, the muscular-fibrous walls of the pharynx contract by reflex, first widening the pharynx, and the palatine veil rises, closing the passage to the rhinopharynx. Then the base of the tongue rises, the piers approach, closing the bucco-pharyngeal passage in the isthmus. The airway is simultaneously interrupted by the posterior displacement of the base of the tongue, the folding of the mucosa of the posterior pharynx, and the lifting and closing of the larynx. The food bolus is thus forced to follow the hypopharyngeal-esophageal pathway, the only one that remains open. In case of paralysis of the nerves that coordinate the swallowing process, the laryngeal sphincter remains open, favoring the false pathway and aspiration bronchopneumonias. The paralysis of the palatine veil prevents its horizontalization during swallowing, which favors the discharge of fluids into the nose, which is significant when the paralysis is bilateral and more discrete when it is unilateral. The clinical prospective and retrospective study material was represented by a number of 190 individuals aged 0 to 80 years, who were hospitalized between 01.01.2011 and 31.12.2019 in the ENT Department of the Teaching Hospital in Galați for follow-up of malignant rhinopharyngeal tumors. Most of these patients subsequently underwent sequential examination to determine their treatment response. Due to its deep location and limited clinical accessibility, onset symptoms are often absent or inconclusive for both the physician and the patient. CT scan is superior to clinical examination in primary tumor evaluation, especially in advanced T3 and T4 cases, which are largely clinically under-rated. Performing the coronal rhinopharynx sections and double-window recording greatly increase the accuracy of examination and they should be considered at least for the initial assessment procedure.