[Importance of swallowing scintigraphy in the evaluation of the risk of pulmonary complications in patients with a swallowing disorder].

Unlabelled: Swallowing disorders may result in chronic aspiration in several pathologies. The acute pulmonary decompensations are a fundamental element in the prognosis of these affections. The objective of this retrospective study is to evaluate the predictive value of the scintigraphic findings in the presence of pulmonary complications.

Material And Method: Patients who underwent a swallowing scintigraphy for aspiration problems with a follow up of at least two years were included in this study. Data with reference to the percentage of hypopharyngeal stasis, inhaled percentage and pulmonary clearance of the inhalant were collected as well as documentation about the occurrence of pulmonary complications during the follow-up.

Results: 15 patients were included. The inhaled percentage was on average 1.8 +/- 2.7% and the hypopharyngeal stasis percentage 3.8 +/- 5.4%. The pulmonary clearance was measured differently according to the subject. Five patients were found to have recurrent infectious pneumopathies; all had an inhaled percentage equal to or higher than 2%.

Conclusion: The value of swallowing scintigraphy for the evaluation of the risk of acute pulmonary complication related to swallowing disorders with aspiration appears interesting. These results are to be confirmed by a prospective study specifying the methods and the relevant parameters.