Abstract
Introduction: Over the past few years, attention has been paid to the coexistence of dysphonia with dysphagia, in the context of functional disorders. The aim of this work was to objectify logopaedic examination of dysphonic patients with coexisting swallowing difficulties by surface electromyography. Methods: The material of the work included 58 patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). Each patient underwent otolaryngologic, phoniatric and logopaedic examination. We collected information about medical history and asked patients to fill out Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) and Swallowing Disorder Scale (SDS). The algorithm of dysphagia diagnostics in our clinic assumes parallel surface electromyography (SEMG) during Functional Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing. Results: In comparison to patients suffering from atypical swallowing, patients with muscle tension dysphagia (MTDg) obtained higher values from almost all questionnaires. Logopaedic evaluation revealed abnormalities in the structure and efficiency of the articulatory organs and in the assessment of primary functions. Patients with more abnormalities in logopaedic examination had significantly higher infrahyoid muscle activity during swallowing observed in EMG. Patients with non-normative swallowing pattern had significantly greater asymmetry of the average and maximum amplitude of masseters, as well as submental muscles. Patients with higher percent of muscles asymmetry gained higher scores in questionnaires. Conclusions: Surface electromyography objectifies logopaedic examination of patients with swallowing difficulties. The results of this work showed that, apart from longer swallows, patients with MTDg differ from patients with non-normative swallowing patterns in the muscle activity measured by SEMG, abnormalities in logopaedic evaluation and the severity of complaints reported by patients.
Highlights
Over the past few years, attention has been paid to the coexistence of dysphonia with dysphagia, in the context of functional disorders
Patients reported subsequent factors of medical history: 16 patients had laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), 6 patients suffered from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), 8 patients reported obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and 2 patients reported eustachian tubes dysfunction
Voice Handicap Index (VHI) results were smaller in the group of patients with muscle tension dysphagia (MTDg), in comparison with patients suffering from atypical swallowing
Summary
Over the past few years, attention has been paid to the coexistence of dysphonia with dysphagia, in the context of functional disorders. The results of this work showed that, apart from longer swallows, patients with MTDg differ from patients with non-normative swallowing patterns in the muscle activity measured by SEMG, abnormalities in logopaedic evaluation and the severity of complaints reported by patients. In 2016, Kang added the term Muscle Tension Dysphagia (MTDg) to dysphagia nomenclature that completed the spectrum of the disease [1] This dysphagia subtype is defined as a type of laryngeal muscle tension disorder manifesting primarily as swallowing difficulty with or without any accompanying organic cause, laryngeal hyperresponsiveness and/or nonspecific laryngeal inflammation. The differential diagnosis of MTDg should include, first and foremost, non-normative swallowing pattern (atypical swallowing) This type of swallowing dysfunction is not considered as a dysphagia subtype. Patients with atypical swallowing may report a sensation of delay, without having an objective symptomatology regarding the duration of swallowing phases, while in patients with MTDg, one can observe objective delay in transit of a liquid or solid bolus
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
