Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify relationships in children between responses to specific questions of interest in a clinical questionnaire concerning swallowing-related difficulties and pathological signs on a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS). A prospective data analysis was made of children evaluated with swallowing disorder between January 2018 and April 2021 at a tertiary care centre. Each child enrolled in the study underwent a subjective evaluation (targeted questions) and instrumental examination (VFSS). In total, 51 children suffering from swallowing problems (32 with a neurological disorder and 19 without neurological disorder) were included into the study. Our results showed there was a correlation between the occurrence of specific symptoms (wet voice, wet breathing, recurrent respiratory infections, chronic mucus) and other pathological signs on a VFSS (laryngeal penetration, residua, nasal regurgitation). The evaluation of these specific questions is a reliable and useful method for the management of dysphagia in neonates and infants. It can help us in selecting those patients for which it is appropriate to perform a VFSS.
Highlights
Suspicion of aspiration is the main reason for instrumental swallowing evaluation in children [1,2]
The subjective evaluation of swallowing typically consists of a series of questions, and it is completed by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) specialized in the treatment of children with dysphagia in cooperation with the parent and/or legal guardian of the child
A high risk of laryngeal penetration on a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) in children was identified by the presence of wet voice, wet breathing, recurrent respiratory infections (RRI) and/or chronic mucus in the airway reported during subjective evaluation (Table 1)
Summary
Suspicion of aspiration is the main reason for instrumental swallowing evaluation in children [1,2]. Little is known about the correlation between clinical symptoms based on the evaluation of specific questions of interest and the probability of finding aspiration or other pathological signs by videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) [3,4]. The subjective evaluation of swallowing typically consists of a series of questions, and it is completed by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) specialized in the treatment of children with dysphagia in cooperation with the parent and/or legal guardian of the child. It typically includes an observed feeding at the bedside
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