The indications for, and predictors of outcome following cricopharyngeal disruption in pharyngeal dysphagia are not clearly defined. Our purpose was to examine the symptomatic response to cricopharyngeal disruption, by either myotomy or dilatation, in patients with oral-pharyngeal dysphagia and to determine pre-treatment manometric or radiographic predictors of outcome. Using simultaneous pharyngeal videoradiography and manometry, we studied 20 patients with pharyngeal dysphagia prior to cricopharyngeal dilatation (n = 11) or myotomy (n = 8), and 23 healthy controls. We measured peak pharyngeal pressure, hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure, upper esophageal sphincter diameter, and coordination. Response rate to sphincter disruption was 65%. The extent of sphincter opening was significantly reduced in patients compared with controls (p = 0.004), but impaired sphincter opening was not a predictor of outcome. Increased hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressures (> 19 mmHg for 10 ml bolus; > 31 mmHg for 20 ml bolus) was a significant predictor of outcome (p = 0.01). Neither peak pharyngeal pressure nor incoordination were predictors of outcome. In pharyngeal dysphagia, hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure, and not peak pharyngeal pressure, is a predictor of response to cricopharyngeal disruption. The relationship between intrabolus pressure and impaired sphincter opening is an indirect measure of sphincter compliance which helps predict therapeutic response.