Objective: To investigate the diagnosis and treatment for recurrent dysphagia of esophageal carcinoma after radical radiotherapy. Methods: The experince of 41 cases with recurrent dysphagia of esophageal carcinoma after radical radiotherapy were retrospectively summerized. Results: All of the cases were surgically treated form July, 1989 to May, 1997 with resectability rate in 97%, operative mortality in 4.8%, postoperative morbidity in 29%. Pathological examination showed squemous cell carcinoma in 82.8%, and serious radiation reaction in 13.2% after operation. The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates after operation were 72.7%, 36.3%, 18.1%respectively, and those after radiation in 100%, 60 %, and 35.5% respectively. Conclusion: Most of recurrent dysphagia for these cases were due to uncontrolled/recurrent cancer, and minority of them were due to constriction after radiotherapy. It is difficult to distinguish cancer with benigh constriction before operation. Some cases have lymphatic metastasis without local cancer recurrence. For those patients with recurrent disphagia should be treated with operation as early as possible.