A Case of Severe Dysphagia Suspected to Result from Acute Oropharyngeal Palsy in which Balloon Dilation was Effective

Acute oropharyngeal palsy is a rare subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome. It is characterized by dysphagia and diminished deep tendon reflexes, while notably sparing limb muscle weakness and orbicularis oculi paralysis. Due to its rarity, dysphagia caused by acute oropharyngeal palsy may remain undiagnosed. We report a case of dysphagia that developed following diabetic ketoacidosis. The patient was a man in his 70s who was transported to our hospital by emergency services due to diabetic ketoacidosis. Severe dysphagia persisted despite the successful management of his diabetic ketoacidosis. Although the diagnosis was challenging, we established a diagnosis of acute oropharyngeal palsy based on physical examination findings and cerebrospinal fluid analysis results. We observed improvement in dysphagia caused by acute oropharyngeal palsy following balloon dilation therapy. We present this case to emphasize the importance of including acute oropharyngeal palsy in the differential diagnosis when evaluating patients with bulbar palsy.