A case of dysfunctioning of the oesophageal opening is reported. The patient, aged 71 years, had had difficulty in swallowing for a long time, complicated by the recent onset of obvious dysphagia. Radiological examination of the oesophagus revealed the presence of a permanent notch in the posterior wall in the crico-pharyngeal region. The endoscope could not pass through the oesophageal opening but radiocinematography did not reveal any obvious organic lesion. The dysphagia and crico-pharyngeal notch disappeared after myotomy. This case is one the rare examples of pharyngo-oesophageal incoordination wrongly called crico-pharyngeal achalasia, as there does not appear to be any disorder of relaxation of the upper oesophageal sphincter, and this was demonstrated by the postoperative manometric study carried out in our patient.