Fiberoptic endoscopic findings of oropharyngeal swallowing of different food consistencies in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the fiberoptic endoscopic findings of oropharyngeal swallowing of distinct food consistencies in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Methods: This was a retrospective clinical study of a convenience sample of 20 individuals (13 males and seven females aged 34 to 78 years old) with a diagnosis of ALS and oropharyngeal dysphagia confirmed by clinical and objective evaluation of swallowing, regardless of the bulbar or skeletal type and of the time of neurological diagnosis. The fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) of the liquid (N = 18), thickened liquid (N = 19) and pureed samples (N = 20) in a volume of 5 ml were analyzed.