The impact of time after radiation treatment on dysphagia in patients with head and neck cancer enrolled in a swallowing therapy program.

Background: Swallowing dysfunction after radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer can be devastating. A randomized control trial compared swallow exercises versus exercise plus neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy and found no overall difference in outcomes.

Methods: Quality of life (QOL), diet, and swallowing variables collected at discrete intervals on 117 patients were reanalyzed to test the hypothesis that shorter time between the completion of radiotherapy and beginning of the swallowing therapy program yielded improved outcomes.

Comparison of trained clinician ratings with expert ratings of aspiration on videofluoroscopic images from a randomized clinical trial.

Accurate detection and classification of aspiration is a critical component of videofluoroscopic swallowing evaluation, the most commonly utilized instrumental method for dysphagia diagnosis and treatment. Currently published literature indicates that interjudge reliability for the identification of aspiration ranges from poor to fairly good depending on the amount of training provided to clinicians. The majority of extant studies compared judgments among clinicians.

Antipsychotics and oropharyngeal dysphagia in hospitalized older patients.

In the inpatient setting, dysphagia is a common, morbid, and costly condition. Antipsychotic medications in older patients have been associated with dysphagia. The purpose of this study was to determine if hospitalized patients who were exposed to antipsychotic medications had worse swallowing function than those who were not exposed.

Comparison of 2 interventions for liquid aspiration on pneumonia incidence: a randomized trial.

Background: Aspiration pneumonia is common among frail elderly persons with dysphagia. Although interventions to prevent aspiration are routinely used in these patients, little is known about the effectiveness of those interventions.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of chin-down posture and 2 consistencies (nectar or honey) of thickened liquids on the 3-month cumulative incidence of pneumonia in patients with dementia or Parkinson disease.

A randomized study of three interventions for aspiration of thin liquids in patients with dementia or Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: This study was designed to identify which of 3 treatments for aspiration on thin liquids-chin-down posture, nectar-thickened liquids, or honey-thickened liquids-results in the most successful immediate elimination of aspiration on thin liquids during the videofluorographic swallow study in patients with dementia and/or Parkinson's disease.

Method: This randomized clinical trial included 711 patients ages 50 to 95 years who aspirated on thin liquids as assessed videofluorographically. All patients received all 3 interventions in a randomly assigned order during the videofluorographic swallow study.

Videofluoroscopy and swallowing studies for neurologic disease: a primer.

Many patients with neurologic impairment due to stroke, multiple sclerosis, trauma, bulbar palsy, and other disorders have difficulty swallowing. Videofluoroscopy can provide important information on patterns of impairment of the swallowing mechanism, allowing important changes in patient treatment. The detailed videofluoroscopic evaluation required to provide this information is now seldom taught and is practiced by relatively few radiologists.