The effect of underlying diseases on pneumonia risk in patients with neurogenic or tumor-related dysphagia: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To analyze the association of neurological disorders (ND) and head and neck cancer (HNC) with dysphagia severity and aspiration pneumonia occurrence.

Method: Retrospective cohort study conducted at a university dysphagia center) for two consecutive years. Patients with ND or HNC were included if they had undergone a flexible endoscopic swallowing evaluation (FEES) at the dysphagia center, and at least one food consistency had been sampled and recorded.

DySMA - an Instrument to Monitor Swallowing Function in Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy ages 0 to 24 Months: Development, Consensus, and Pilot Testing.

Background: The manifestation of bulbar symptoms, especially swallowing, is important for evaluating disease-modifying therapies for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Due to the lack of instruments, the topic is still underrepresented in research.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a tool to monitor swallowing development in children aged 0 to 24 months with SMA.

Narrow Band Imaging in Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing-How Does It Work?

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to compare the visibility of various color groups in different dilutions using narrow band imaging (NBI) and white light (WL) and to determine an optimal color combination using NBI and WL for multicolor flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), for example, to test different consistencies.

Method: Preliminary examinations were performed in the oral cavity of two healthy volunteers. Various dyes were tested using NBI and WL to evaluate their visibilities.

Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing in children with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy.

Purpose: This study aimed to report on implementing flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in infants and toddlers with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In addition, a comparison of FEES results and clinical scores was carried out.

Methods: A prospective pilot study was conducted including ten symptomatic children with SMA type 1 (two SMN2 copies).

Implementation of Pediatric Flexible-Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing: A Systematic Review and Recommendations for Future Research.

Background: Although pediatric flexible-endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) has developed into a standard in dysphagia diagnostics, there are no valid protocols and procedures for children available to date.

Objective: This systematic PROSPERO-registered review aimed to identify implementation protocols for pediatric FEES described in research studies, and to analyze them in detail concerning procedural steps, equipment, and reported outcome.

Methods: Included were all studies reporting a pediatric FEES protocol for children aged 0-18 years, if they described at least two criteria defined in advance.

Prognostic factors in non-organic hearing loss in children.

Objective: Exploring factors that predict a favourable clinical outcome in non-organic hearing loss (NOHL) in children. NOHL is defined as a subjective hearing loss without correlation in objective measures.

Design: Retrospective analysis of all childrens' data with the diagnosis NOHL seen between 2005 and 2017 at a tertiary referral centre.

Pediatric Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing: Critical Analysis of Implementation and Future Perspectives.

This study aimed to critically review pediatric swallowing assessment data to determine the future need for standardized procedures. A retrospective analysis of 152 swallowing examinations in 128 children aged 21 days to 18 years was performed. The children were presented at a university dysphagia center between January 2015 and June 2020 for flexible-endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).

Dysphagia Screening in Parkinson's Disease. A diagnostic accuracy cross-sectional study investigating the applicability of the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS).

Background: Simple water-swallowing screening tools are not predictive of aspiration and dysphagia in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD). We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of a multi-texture screening tool, the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS) to identify aspiration and dysphagia/penetration in PD patients compared to flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).

Methods: Swallowing function was evaluated in 51 PD participants in clinical 'on-medication' state with the GUSS and a FEES examination according to standardized protocols.

Impact of simultaneous subthalamic and nigral stimulation on dysphagia in Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: Dysphagia is a frequent and highly relevant symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) due to high associated morbidity and mortality. To compare the effect of simultaneous stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and substantia nigra (SNr) with conventional STN-stimulation on swallowing function in Parkinson's disease.

Methods: In this controlled, randomized, double-blind, cross-over clinical trial, 15 PD patients were assessed with DBS switched off (STIM OFF), STN-DBS, STN + SNr-DBS.

Swallowing speed is no adequate predictor of aspiration in Parkinson's disease.

Background: There is still a lack of a clinical test to reliably identify patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) being at risk for aspiration.

Methods: In this prospective, controlled, cross-sectional study, we assessed if swallowing speed for water is a useful clinical test to predict aspiration proven by flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Due to this, we measured the swallowing speed for 90 mL water in 115 consecutive and unselected PD outpatients of all clinical stages and 32 healthy controls.

Pill swallowing in Parkinson's disease: A prospective study based on flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing.

Background: This study evaluates the prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of the difficulty of swallowing medication in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: In this prospective controlled, cross-sectional cohort study, the ability to swallow four different placebos was assessed using flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in 118 PD patients and 32 controls. The association between a patient's swallowing ability for each pill and water, patient characteristics and dopaminergic response was examined.

Predictive clinical factors for penetration and aspiration in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Do the current swallow-specific subquestions of neurological diagnostic tools reflect the objective swallowing function in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients or are clinical factors superior to predict critical aspiration?

Methods: In a cross-sectional, observational study a total of 119 Parkinson outpatients were examined clinically and by flexible-endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Self-reported dysphagia by subquestions of the MDS-UPDRS and NMS questionnaire and history of subjective aspiration signs were collected.

Key Results: Nearly, all PD patients showed deglutition abnormalities in FEES (113/119) while only 12%-27% of them reported swallowing problems in the swallow-specific subquestions of neurological standard diagnostic tools (MDS-UPDRS and NMS-Quest), and the answers were heterogeneous and poorly reproducible.

Is the Munich dysphagia Test-Parkinson's disease (MDT-PD) a valid screening tool for patients at risk for aspiration?

Background: Dysphagia is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and leads to pneumonia, malnutrition, and reduced quality of life. For detecting dysphagia-exposed PD patients, the Munich dysphagia test-Parkinson's disease (MDT-PD) is a patient self-reported tool that has been developed specifically for PD patients. The MDT-PD is available in both German and English.

Pin-up Glottoplasty: Feasibility Study of a Novel Approach Medializing or Lateralizing Immobile Vocal Folds.

Principles in medializing and lateralizing vocal folds have not changed a lot within the last decades (Isshiki et al, 1974; Bruenings, 1911). We present a feasibility study for a completely new approach to perform medialization and lateralization of immobile vocal folds. The method was tested on 20 human larynges by inserting a 21G needle into the vocal fold, medializing (or, in other cases, lateralizing) the vocal cord and fixing the needle at the cricoid cartilage posteriorly.

Critical Dysphagia is Common in Parkinson Disease and Occurs Even in Early Stages: A Prospective Cohort Study.

To assess the prevalence of dysphagia and its typical findings in unselected "real-world" Parkinson patients using an objective gold-standard method. This was a prospective, controlled, cross-sectional study conducted in 119 consecutive Parkinson patients of all stages independent of subjective dysphagia. Patients and 32 controls were clinically and endoscopically examined by flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) to evaluate the deglutition with regard to three consistencies (water, biscuit, and bread).

Narrow Band Imaging Enhances the Detection Rate of Penetration and Aspiration in FEES.

Narrow band imaging (NBI) is widely used in gastrointestinal, laryngeal, and urological endoscopy. Its original purpose was to visualize vessels and epithelial irregularities. Based on our observation that adding NBI to common white light (WL) improves the contrast of the test bolus in fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), we now investigated the potential value of NBI in swallowing disorders.