Videofluoroscopic Predictors of Penetration-Aspiration in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients show a high prevalence of swallowing disorders and tracheal aspiration of food. The videofluoroscopic study of swallowing (VFSS) allows clinicians to visualize the visuoperceptual and temporal parameters associated with swallowing disorders in an attempt to predict aspiration risk. However, this subject remains understudied in PD populations.

Swallowing disorders in Parkinson's disease: impact of lingual pumping.

Background: Lingual pumping (LP) is a repetitive, involuntary, anteroposterior movement of the tongue on the soft palate that is executed prior to transferring the food bolus to the pharynx, but we also observed LP when multiple swallows were taken. LP may be associated with rigidity and bradykinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This phenomenon tends to be more prevalent in dysphagic PD patients, and its impact on swallowing dynamics remains poorly understood.

Wet voice as a sign of penetration/aspiration in Parkinson's disease: does testing material matter?

Wet voice is a perceptual vocal quality that is commonly used as an indicator of penetration and/or aspiration in clinical swallowing assessments and bedside screening tests. Our aim was to describe the clinimetric characteristics of this clinical sign using various fluid materials and one solid food in the Parkinson's disease (PD) population. Consecutive PD individuals were submitted for simultaneous fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and voice recording.

Do swallowing exercises improve swallowing dynamic and quality of life in Parkinson's disease?

Objective: To investigate the effect of motor swallowing exercises on swallowing dynamic, quality of life and swallowing complaints in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Design: A before-after trial.

Setting: University Medical Center.

Silent saliva aspiration in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Silent laryngeal penetration and silent aspiration (SLP/SA) are common manifestations in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and are frequently associated with dysphagia. However, little is known about saliva aspiration in this population.

Objective: We investigated the frequency and characteristics of saliva SLP/SA in PD patients with daily drooling (Group A) and in individuals without PD or daily drooling (Group B).