Simultaneous Fluoroscopic and Manometric Measures of the Oropharyngeal Phase of Deglutition

The specific aim of this study is to validate the pharyngeal constriction ration, a surrogate measure of pharyngeal strength on fluoroscopy by comparing it with simultaneous pharyngeal manometry. Combined videofluoroscopic swallowing studies with pharyngeal manometry are commonly used in the evaluation of dysphagia. However, no published study has compared the results of simultaneous pharyngeal manometry with objective timing and displacement measures on videofluoroscopy. These objective measures, such as the pharyngeal constriction ratio, were developed here at UCD and are not yet routinely used by other practitioners. A secondary aim of this study will be to corroborate recent data in the literature suggesting that the presence of feeding tube through the upper esophageal sphincter does not affect the oropharyngeal phase of deglutition. This topic is currently under hot debate in the speech language pathology realm and has important implications for the evaluation of hospitalized patients with dysphagia.