Morphological and functional changes of the geniohyoid muscle in elderly patients after hip fracture surgery: Comparison of ultrasound images with a focus on swallowing function.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify, using ultrasound imaging, (1) whether the area and contraction of GH change in elderly patients after hip fracture surgery and (2) whether the changes in the area and contraction of GH are related to decline in swallowing function.

Methods: The participants were 21 female patients over 65 years of age who underwent hip fracture surgery. The patients were divided into two groups based on the results of swallowing assessment by water drinking: One with normal swallowing function (NSF) and the other with suspected decline in swallowing function (DSF).

Effects of Bolus Types and Swallowing Maneuvers on Laryngeal Elevation: Analysis of Healthy Young Adult Men and Healthy Older Men.

Peak velocity, distance, and time of laryngeal elevation during swallowing were measured with a laryngeal motion measurement system in eight healthy young adult men in their 20 and 30 s (33.0 ± 4.3 years) and ten healthy older men in their 60 and 70 s (74.

Development of a Remote Examination of Deglutition Based on Consensus Surveys of Clinicians (Part II): Reliability and Validity in Healthy Elderly Individuals and Oral Cancer Patients.

In our prior published study, we extracted evaluation items suitable for remote administration, and made a relatively simple Remote Examination of Deglutition (RED). This study aimed at verifying the reliability and validity of RED. The participants were 21 healthy elderly individuals and 72 postoperative oral cancer (OC) patients.

Development of a Remote Examination of Deglutition Based on Consensus Surveys of Clinicians (Part I): Selection of Examination Items.

In order to ensure appropriateness and feasibility of examination items for remote evaluation for deglutition disorders, a questionnaire based on the Delphi method was administered to 122 speech-language-hearing therapists (STs), and a set of examination items was selected. The participants were instructed to view a video recording of a remote assessment situation and answer a 30-item questionnaire. Of 19 items ensuring the appropriateness for deglutition disorders detection, 13 items ultimately met the consensus criteria for remote feasibility.

Effects of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD) on Swallowing in Patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Pilot Study.

Objectives: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an uncommon progressive neurodegenerative disease with no effective cure at present. The initial symptoms resemble those of Parkinson's disease; however, the prevalence of PSP is about one-tenth that of Parkinson's disease. In many cases, dysphagia is severe, and the development of dysphagia is an early predictor of life expectancy.

Questionnaire survey on nurses and speech therapists regarding dysphagia rehabilitation in Japan.

Objective: Current interventions of dysphagia are not generalizable, and treatments are commonly used in combination. We conducted a questionnaire survey on nurses and speech therapists regarding dysphagia rehabilitation to understand the current situation in Japan.

Methods: The questionnaire was sent to 616 certified nurses in dysphasia nursing and 254 certified speech-language-hearing therapists for dysphagia.

Sarcopenia and dysphagia: Position paper by four professional organizations.

This report was written by the Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation, the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Nutrition, the Japanese Association on Sarcopenia and Frailty, and the Society of Swallowing and Dysphagia of Japan to consolidate the currently available evidence on the topics of sarcopenia and dysphagia. Histologically, the swallowing muscles are of different embryological origin from somatic muscles, and receive constant input stimulation from the respiratory center. Although the swallowing muscles are striated, their characteristics are different from those of skeletal muscles.

Tongue Pressure Production and Submental Surface Electromyogram Activities During Tongue-Hold Swallow with Different Holding Positions and Tongue Length.

Our previous study regarding the tongue-hold swallow (THS) demonstrated that the tongue-to-palate contact during THS could be influenced by the maximum tongue protrusion length (MTPL) of individual subjects, resulting in two different patterns of pressure generation. The present study further analyzed the influence of MTPL on the tongue pressure production along with submental surface electromyography (sEMG) during THS, in order to establish an index to better control THS effects. Tongue pressure using a sensor sheet system and concurrent submental sEMG activities were measured during swallowing tasks in 18 healthy young adults.

Immediate effect of laryngeal surface electrical stimulation on swallowing performance.

Surface electrical stimulation of the laryngeal region is used to improve swallowing in dysphagic patients. However, little is known about how electrical stimulation affects tongue movements and related functions. We investigated the effect of electrical stimulation on tongue pressure and hyoid movement, as well as suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscle activity, in 18 healthy young participants.

Optimal Duration for Voice Rest After Vocal Fold Surgery: Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.

Objectives: Voice rest is commonly recommended after phonomicrosurgery to prevent worsening of vocal fold injuries. However, the most effective duration of voice rest is unknown. Recently, early vocal stimulation was recommended as a means to improve wound healing.

Multidimensional Analysis on the Effect of Vocal Function Exercises on Aged Vocal Fold Atrophy.

Objectives: Age-related voice change is characterized as weak, harsh, and breathy. These changes are caused by histologic alteration of the lamina propria of the vocal fold mucosa as well as atrophy of the thyroarytenoid muscle. Several therapeutic strategies involving laryngeal framework surgery and injection laryngoplasty have been tried, but effects have been limited.

Effect of supraglottic and super-supraglottic swallows on tongue pressure production against hard palate.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the state of tongue pressure production during supraglottic swallow (SS) and super-supraglottic swallow (SSS) performed by healthy adults, and to investigate the effects of these swallowing maneuvers on the oral stage of swallowing. The participants were 19 healthy individuals. Tongue pressure against the hard palate during swallowing was measured using a tongue pressure sensor sheet system with five pressure-sensitive points.

Prediction of dysphagia severity: an investigation of the dysphagia patterns in patients with lateral medullary infarction.

Objective: In order to identify the factors that influence the swallowing function in patients who develop Wallenberg syndrome (WS) following lateral medullary infarction (LMI), we examined various patient characteristics, including the passage pattern abnormality (PPA) of a bolus through the upper esophageal sphincter (UES).

Methods: Fifty-four pure LMI patients with dysphagia participated in this study. PPA, defined as the failure of bolus passage through the UES corresponding to the intact side of the medulla, was identified during videofluorographic swallowing evaluations of each patient.

Tongue pressure generation during tongue-hold swallows in young healthy adults measured with different tongue positions.

Tongue-hold swallow (THS) has the potential to be a resistance exercise not only for the pharyngeal constrictor but for the tongue muscles. To elucidate the physiological mechanisms of THS, this study investigated intraoral pressure generation during THS in relation to different extents of tongue protrusion. Tongue pressure was measured by a 5-point pressure sensor sheet placed onto the hard palate of 18 healthy young subjects who performed three swallow tasks: normal dry swallow, THS with slight tongue protrusion, and THS with greater tongue protrusion.