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Objective:To investigate the incidence of anxiety and depression after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma among persons suffering from dysphagia, and to analyze the related factors.Methods:A total of 143 persons with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma were studied. They completed a general information questionnaire and were evaluated using the hospital anxiety and depression scale.Results:Anxiety was detected in 52 of the subjects (36.3%) and depression in 61 (42.7%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the average total anxiety score was significantly related to whether the respondent used a gastric tube and whether they lived in a religious household. The average total depression score was related to gastric tube use and to the respondent′s district of residence.Conclusion:Persons with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma often suffer anxiety and depression. The use of a gastric tube increases the risk. The depression of rural residents and those with religious beliefs tends to be milder.
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Objective:To observe any effect of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) of the cerebellum on swallowing dysfunction after cerebellar infarction, and to explore its mechanism.Methods:Sixty-two cerebellar stroke survivors with dysphagia were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, each of 29. In addition to the routine swallowing rehabilitation training, the observation group was treated with iTBS, while the control group was given sham iTBS. The incubation and amplitude of the bilateral suprahyoid muscle motor evoked potential (MEP) were recorded before and after 4 weeks of treatment. The exponential approximate entropy (ApEn) of different brain regions was compared between the two groups during reflex and autonomous swallowing. Swallowing function was evaluated using the penetration-aspiration scale (PAS).Results:MEP incubation in the bilateral suprahyoid muscles had decreased significantly after 4 weeks of treatment in the observation group, and the MEP amplitude in the bilateral suprahyoid muscles of the two groups had increased significantly. The average improvement in the amplitude and incubation in the observation group was significantly greater than in the control group. The average ApEn at C3, C4, P3, P4, T5 and T6 had increased significantly in both groups during both reflex and spontaneous swallowing, with the improvement in the observation group significantly greater. Swallowing function had improved significantly in both groups, but the average PAS grade of the observation group was again significantly better.Conclusions:iTBS can improve the swallowing function of dysphagic cerebellar stroke survivors. This may be due to iTBS improving the excitability of the cerebral cortex and improving motor control of the swallowing muscles.
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Objective:To observe any effect of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) of the prefrontal lobe on dysphagia and impaired cognition, and to explore the neural mechanisms involved.Methods:Twenty-eight patients with dysphagia and mild cognitive impairment were randomly divided into an iTBS group of 16 and a control group of 11. The iTBS group received 20 minutes of iTBS (2 seconds on and 8 seconds off) of the right dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) once daily for 2 weeks, with the intensity at 80% of the resting movement threshold of the right abductor pollicis brevis, while the control group was given sham iTBS. Before and after the treatment, both groups′ cognitive functioning was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), a trial marking test, a digit span test and a Stroop color word test. Video-fluoroscopy was used to record oral transmission times (OTTs), hyoid bone anterior displacement and hyoid bone upward displacement during swallowing. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging measured the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity in the patients′ brains.Results:Before the treatment there was no significant difference in the average indices of cognition or swallowing function between the 2 groups. Afterward the average MoCA score had increased significantly in both groups, with the improvement in the iTBS group significantly greater than that of the controls. Average OTT had shortened significantly in both groups, with significantly greater improvement in the iTBS group. The magnetic resonance imaging showed that after iTBS treatment, local excitation indicators and functional connections in several brain regions had changed. ALFF and ReHo in the right anterior cuneus had increased, ReHo in the left middle temporal gyrus, the orbital region of the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left middle cingulate gyrus had decreased, and functional connectivity in the right DLPFC, the bilateral cuneus and the right middle cingulate gyrus had increased.Conclusions:Two weeks of intermittent TBS of the right DLPFC can improve the swallowing and cognition of persons with dysphagia. Functional reorganization of brain networks may be one of the neural mechanisms involved.
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Objective:To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Ohkuma questionnaire.Methods:The Ohkuma questionnaire was translated and revised, before it was used to investigate 70 elderly patients. Cronbach′s alpha coefficient, Cohen′s kappa coefficient and Pearson correlation were used to evaluate the scale′s internal reliability, sub-item retest reliability and total score retest reliability. KMO and Bartlett tests were used to evaluate the validity. The correlation between the Chinese version of the Ohkuma questionnaire and ratings from video fluoroscopy before and after treatment was used to evaluate the scale′s discrimination ability.Results:The Cronbach′s alpha of the Chinese version of Ohkuma questionnaire was 0.831, with 0.814 in the initial evaluation and 0.808 in a second evaluation. The Cohen′s kappas of the 15 sub-items ranged from 0.728 to 1.000. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the total score was 0.914. The scale′s KMO value was 0.701. A t-test of the Ohkuma scores before and after treatment showed a statistically significant difference.Conclusion:The revised Chinese Ohkuma questionnaire has good reliability, validity and discriminatory power. It can be used to screen for dysphagia among the elderly.
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Objective:To explore the application of digital acoustic analysis in assessing the risk of aspiration among persons with dysphagia using the Praat speech analysis software.Methods:The swallowing of 46 stroke survivors with dysphagia was studied using video fluoroscopy. Each patient was required to pronounce " yi/i/" 3 times before and after taking each mouthful of food, and their voice samples were collected. The subjects were divided into a non-aspiration group of 16 and an aspiration group of 30 based on their penetration-aspiration scale scores. Fundamental frequency, relative average perturbation (RAP), jitter, shimmer, amplitude perturbation quotient and harmonic-to-noise ratio were compared between the two groups before and after taking food.Results:For the non-aspiration group, there was no significant difference in the acoustic data before and after eating. For the aspiration group there were significant differences in fundamental frequency, relative average perturbation and jitter before and after taking food. The average RAP and jitter of the non-aspiration group were significantly better than the aspiration group′s averages before eating. After eating, however, significant differences were observed only in average jitter.Conclusions:Analyzing perturbation and jitter can help to identify persons at risk of aspiration.
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Objective@#To investigate the effect of a Passy-Muir speaking valve (PMV) on the biomechanics of swallowing and on aspiration among persons tracheotomized after brain damage.@*Methods@#Twenty tracheotomized patients with aspiration after brain injury were selected and randomly divided into a non-PMV intervention group and a PMV intervention group, each of 10. Both groups were given routine swallowing training, while the PMV intervention group was additionally provided with a PMV and trained to use it. The treatment ended when the tracheal tube was removed or after 2 weeks. High-resolution manometry and videofluoroscopy were used to evaluate the maximum pressure in the velopharynx (VP-Max), the maximum post-deglutitive upper esophageal sphincter (UES) pressure (UES-Max) and Rosenbek penetration aspiration (PAS) scores for both groups before and after the treatment.@*Results@#Before the treatment there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of average VP-Max, UES-Max or PAS score. After the treatment, the average VP-Max and UES-Max had increased significantly in both groups, and the average PAS score of the PMV intervention group had decreased significantly. There was a significant positive correlation between the increases in VP-Max and the decrease in PAS scores.@*Conclusion@#Inserting a PMV can improve velopharynx contraction and post-deglutitive UES among persons tracheotomized after a brain injury. The increase in maximum velopharynx pressure is positively correlated with decreases in aspiration.
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Objective@#To identify the pathophysiological characteristics of cortical stroke survivors′ swallowing.@*Methods@#Sixty cortical stroke survivors with dysphagia and cognitive impairment were enrolled into the observation group, while another 16 with dysphagia but without cognitive impairment formed the unimpaired control group and 16 healthy counterparts were selected for a normal control group. Each subject was recorded videofluoroscopically while swallowing 5ml of a liquid of medium consistency. The occurrence of refusing to eat, mouth opening difficulty, incomplete oral closure, residue in the oral cavity, residue in the pharyngeal cavity, leakage and aspiration were observed. Each subject′s swallowing time and kinematic parameters were analyzed from the fluoroscopic videos.@*Results@#The incidence of refusing to eat (37.5%) and/or incomplete mouth closure (68.75%) were significantly higher in the observation group than in the other two groups. The incidence of difficulty in opening the mouth (37.5%), residue in the oral cavity (81.25%), residue in the pharyngeal cavity (56.25%), leakage (56.25%) and aspiration (50%) of the observation group were significantly higher in the observation group than among the normal controls, but were not significantly different from those incidences among the group without cognitive impairment. The average oral transit time and soft palate elevation time of the observation group were significantly longer than those of the other two groups. The observation group′s average hyoid movement time was significantly longer than that of the normal control group, but not significantly different from that of the group without cognitive impairment. There were no significant differences among the groups in average upper esophageal sphincter opening time, larynx closure time or the kinematic parameters.@*Conclusions@#Stroke survivors with dysphagia and cognitive impairment present dysphagia characteristic of oral phase swallowing difficulties.
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Objective@#To evaluate the motility of the esophagus while swallowing of brainstem stroke survivors.@*Methods@#Eighteen patients and 10 healthy subjects were included in the study. There was no significant difference in average age, gender, weight or body mass index between the two groups. All underwent high-resolution esophageal manometry to assess esophageal motility while swallowing, and they were rated using the version 3.0 of the Chicago classification.@*Results@#Fourteen of the 18 stroke survivors displayed abnormal esophageal dynamics (77.8%), compared with only 10.0% of the healthy control group, but that difference was not statistically significant. The typical abnormalities were a lack of contraction, high pressure contractile esophagus, gastroesophageal junction outflow obstruction and/or distal esophageal spasm. Compared with the control group, the average resting pressure of the patients′ upper esophageal sphincters (UESs) was significantly lower, while the UES residual pressure and integrated relaxation pressure of their lower esophageal sphincters (LESs) were higher and the average UES relaxation time was significantly shorter. No significant differences were found in the LES resting pressures, distal contractile integrals or the distal latency between the two groups.@*Conclusions@#Abnormal esophageal motility is highly prevalent in brainstem stroke survivors and due attention should be paid to it. High-resolution manometry can be used to assess this condition.
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Objective:To explore the value of flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in guiding the decannulation of neurological disease patients with dysphagia after a tracheotomy.Methods:The FEES results of 188 neurological disease patients with dysphagia who had undergone a tracheotomy were analyzed retrospectively. The utility of FEES evaluation indexes (including glottis activity, the classification of pharyngeal secretions and residues as well as penetration-aspiration grade) for predicting the success of decannulation was explored.Results:One hundred and nine of the patients (the success group) were decannulated successfully and 79 (the failure group) were not, a success rate of 57%. The abnormal glottis activity rate among the failure group was 55%, significantly higher than among the success group (21%). The pharyngeal secretion classifications and penetration-aspiration grades among the success group were also significantly lower than among the failure group, on average. The average course of recovery from the tracheotomy was 184 days in the success group, significantly shorter than that of the failure group (292 days). No significant differences in residues were observed.Conclusion:The glottis activity, secretions and intake aspiration evaluated using FEES are of great value for guiding the decannulation of neurological disease patients with dysphagia after a tracheotomy.
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Objective:To explore the effect of high-flow airway humidification on aspiration and residues in cases of dysphagia after a tracheotomy.Methods:Seventeen persons with dysphagia after a tracheotomy were asked to swallow 5ml of a thick liquid when their tracheal cannula was either connected to a high-flow airway humidification system or blocked, or the cuff was empty or full. Endoscopic evaluation was then used to grade the residue and aspiration in the different conditions.Results:There were significant differences in the residuals grading and aspiration among the four conditions. The average penetration-aspiration scale grade was significantly lower when the subject was connected to high-flow airway humidification than in the other three conditions. The grade of residuals was also significantly lower.Conclusion:High-flow airway humidification can effectively improve the swallowing of persons with dysphagia after a tracheotomy.
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Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of basic swallowing training for tracheotomy patients using a speech valve after severe cranial injury.Methods:Thirty brain injury patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, each of 15. In addition to conventional drug therapy, those in the control group were given basic swallowing training, while those in the observation group received the same swallowing training wearing a speech valve. The basic swallowing training included ice stimulation, tongue movement training and cough training twice a day, five days a week, for four weeks. The patients in the observation group were also trained to wear a speech valve on the same schedule. The subjects′ swallowing function was evaluated laryngoscopically using Saito′s dysphagia rating scale and the Rosenbek leakage aspiration rating scale before and after the 4 weeks of treatment.Results:Significant improvement was observed in both groups, with significantly greater improvement in the observation group, on average.Conclusions:Basic swallowing training when wearing a speech valve can improve the swallowing function of patients with severe brain injury after a tracheotomy and reduce aspiration during swallowing.
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Objective:To investigate the effect of a Passy-Muir speaking valve (PMV) on the biomechanics of swallowing and on aspiration among persons tracheotomized after brain damage.Methods:Twenty tracheotomized patients with aspiration after brain injury were selected and randomly divided into a non-PMV intervention group and a PMV intervention group, each of 10. Both groups were given routine swallowing training, while the PMV intervention group was additionally provided with a PMV and trained to use it. The treatment ended when the tracheal tube was removed or after 2 weeks. High-resolution manometry and videofluoroscopy were used to evaluate the maximum pressure in the velopharynx (VP-Max), the maximum post-deglutitive upper esophageal sphincter (UES) pressure (UES-Max) and Rosenbek penetration aspiration (PAS) scores for both groups before and after the treatment.Results:Before the treatment there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of average VP-Max, UES-Max or PAS score. After the treatment, the average VP-Max and UES-Max had increased significantly in both groups, and the average PAS score of the PMV intervention group had decreased significantly. There was a significant positive correlation between the increases in VP-Max and the decrease in PAS scores.Conclusion:Inserting a PMV can improve velopharynx contraction and post-deglutitive UES among persons tracheotomized after a brain injury. The increase in maximum velopharynx pressure is positively correlated with decreases in aspiration.
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Objective:To evaluate the motility of the esophagus while swallowing of brainstem stroke survivors.Methods:Eighteen patients and 10 healthy subjects were included in the study. There was no significant difference in average age, gender, weight or body mass index between the two groups. All underwent high-resolution esophageal manometry to assess esophageal motility while swallowing, and they were rated using the version 3.0 of the Chicago classification.Results:Fourteen of the 18 stroke survivors displayed abnormal esophageal dynamics (77.8%), compared with only 10.0% of the healthy control group, but that difference was not statistically significant. The typical abnormalities were a lack of contraction, high pressure contractile esophagus, gastroesophageal junction outflow obstruction and/or distal esophageal spasm. Compared with the control group, the average resting pressure of the patients′ upper esophageal sphincters (UESs) was significantly lower, while the UES residual pressure and integrated relaxation pressure of their lower esophageal sphincters (LESs) were higher and the average UES relaxation time was significantly shorter. No significant differences were found in the LES resting pressures, distal contractile integrals or the distal latency between the two groups.Conclusions:Abnormal esophageal motility is highly prevalent in brainstem stroke survivors and due attention should be paid to it. High-resolution manometry can be used to assess this condition.
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Objective:To identify the pathophysiological characteristics of cortical stroke survivors′ swallowing.Methods:Sixty cortical stroke survivors with dysphagia and cognitive impairment were enrolled into the observation group, while another 16 with dysphagia but without cognitive impairment formed the unimpaired control group and 16 healthy counterparts were selected for a normal control group. Each subject was recorded videofluoroscopically while swallowing 5ml of a liquid of medium consistency. The occurrence of refusing to eat, mouth opening difficulty, incomplete oral closure, residue in the oral cavity, residue in the pharyngeal cavity, leakage and aspiration were observed. Each subject′s swallowing time and kinematic parameters were analyzed from the fluoroscopic videos.Results:The incidence of refusing to eat (37.5%) and/or incomplete mouth closure (68.75%) were significantly higher in the observation group than in the other two groups. The incidence of difficulty in opening the mouth (37.5%), residue in the oral cavity (81.25%), residue in the pharyngeal cavity (56.25%), leakage (56.25%) and aspiration (50%) of the observation group were significantly higher in the observation group than among the normal controls, but were not significantly different from those incidences among the group without cognitive impairment. The average oral transit time and soft palate elevation time of the observation group were significantly longer than those of the other two groups. The observation group′s average hyoid movement time was significantly longer than that of the normal control group, but not significantly different from that of the group without cognitive impairment. There were no significant differences among the groups in average upper esophageal sphincter opening time, larynx closure time or the kinematic parameters.Conclusions:Stroke survivors with dysphagia and cognitive impairment present dysphagia characteristic of oral phase swallowing difficulties.
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Objective To analyze the effect of ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injection on different pathologies of the shoulder retrospectively.Methods Clinical data were collected describing 75 patients with shoulder pain who received ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injection and finished 3 month follow-ups in the rehabilitation clinic of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between April and September of 2017.The patients were divided into three groups based on their different injection sites:group 1 was injected at the subacromial bursa alone,group 2 was injected at both the subacromial bursa and the coracoid bursa,while group 3 was injected at the subacromial bursa and the long head of the tendon sheath of the biceps brachii.A shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) was used to quantify the pain and disability of each patient before and after the injection.Results Significant improvement was observed in the average pain and disability scores of all groups at 1 week,1 month and 3 months after the injection.Moreover,significant and continuous improvement was observed in the average pain and disability scores of groups 1 and 3,as well as the average disability score of group 2 from right after the injection until the last follow-up.However,no significant differences were found in the average pain score between one and three months after the injection.There was no significant difference among the 3 groups in the average pain and disability scores before and immediately after the injection.Conclusion Ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injection is effective and persistent for treating shoulder pain with different pathologies.
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Objective@#To compare a new agar thickener with xanthan gum as a thickener in treating dysphagia patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy.@*Methods@#Twenty nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy were asked to swallow moderately and extremely thick liquids thickened with the agar and xanthan gum, and their swallowing was recorded with a videofluoroscope.@*Results@#The average pharyngeal constriction ratio when swallowing agar thickener was significantly lower than when swallowing the traditional thickener. The average oral transit time, the initiation of pharyngeal swallowing were both significantly quicker. There was no significant difference in the average penetration aspiration scale scores between the two thickeners. In the subjective evaluation, the agar thickener was adjudged smoother and with better residual mouthfeel than the xanthan gum, but the scent of the xanthan gum was preferred.@*Conclusion@#The new agar thickener is smooth and not sticky. It produces faster transport with less oropharyngeal residue. It can be widely used among nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy.
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Objective@#To explore the sensitivity and specificity of the Chinese version of the volume and viscosity swallowing test with modified safety and effectiveness indicators (VVST-CV) in assessing deglutition disorders.@*Methods@#The solvent, volume, viscosity, and test index of the volume and viscosity swallowing test were modified before it was used to evaluate 89 patients with swallowing disorders. The positive rates of the safety indexes (coughing, voice changes and blood oxygen saturation decline at least 3%) and the efficiency indexes (poor lip closure, oral residue, pharynx residue and swallowing) were recorded and compared and compared with the positive rates of penetration, aspiration and food residue determined by means of according to the videofluoroscopic swallowing study, then the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the modified VVST-CV with regard to the safety and efficiency of swallowing were calculated.@*Results@#The VVST-CV′s sensitivity in detecting dysphagia was 0.97. For impaired safety it was 0.85 and for impaired swallowing efficiency it was 0.95. The sensitivity of the coughing index was 0.65, that of sound change was 0.60 and that of oxygen saturation decrease was 0.42. The positive predictive values for coughing, sound change and oxygen saturation decrease were 0.98, 0.94 and 0.94, respectively.@*Conclusion@#The VVST-CV is simple, feasible and sensitive. It can be widely useful in the evaluation of dysphagia in clinical practice.
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Objective@#To explore the relationships among tongue pressure, hyoid composite movement and pharynx phase activity among stroke survivors with dysphagia.@*Methods@#Videofluoroscopy was used to observe the swallowing performance of 13 stroke survivors with dysphagia. Their tongue pressure was also measured. Correlations were sought among the tongue pressure, hyoid motion, the pharynx contraction ratio and the duration of upper oesophageal sphincter opening.@*Results@#Tongue pressure was found to be significantly positively correlated with the duration of upper oesophageal sphincter opening. The distance of forward movement of the hyoid and the pharynx contraction ratio were also significantly positively correlated.@*Conclusion@#The tongue muscle and hyoid activity can affect the activity in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing.
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Objective@#To explore the value of videofluoroscopy in assessing the capsule swallowing ability of stroke survivors.@*Methods@#Twenty-seven stroke survivors with functional oral intake scale ratings of 4-7 with no aspiration were selected as a patient group, while 16 healthy subjects were chosen as a control group. All swallowed capsules filled with barium sulfate with water while being monitored videofluoroscopically. The success rate of capsule swallowing was recorded along with oral transit time, stage transition time (STT), pharyngeal transition time, the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening time, delay time (DT), superior hyoid bone movement, anterior hyoid bone movement and UES opening diameter for each swallowing.@*Results@#The swallowing success ratio was 78.3% in the patient group, significantly lower than in the control group. Swallowing failures manifested as hindered transport and retention of the capsule in the oral or pharyngeal cavity. Significant differences were found in STT and DT between the two groups.@*Conclusion@#Even if eating and swallowing ability recover somewhat after a stroke, survivors still have difficulty swallowing oral medication. Clinical assessment for ability to take oral medication is crucial and videofluoroscopy can be one useful tool.
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Objective To explore the value of videofluoroscopy in assessing the capsule swallowing ability of stroke survivors. Methods Twenty-seven stroke survivors with functional oral intake scale ratings of 4-7 with no aspiration were selected as a patient group, while 16 healthy subjects were chosen as a control group. All swallowed capsules filled with barium sulfate with water while being monitored videofluoroscopically. The success rate of capsule swallowing was recorded along with oral transit time, stage transition time ( STT) , pharyngeal transition time, the up-per esophageal sphincter ( UES) opening time, delay time ( DT) , superior hyoid bone movement, anterior hyoid bone movement and UES opening diameter for each swallowing. Results The swallowing success ratio was 78.3％ in the patient group, significantly lower than in the control group. Swallowing failures manifested as hindered transport and retention of the capsule in the oral or pharyngeal cavity. Significant differences were found in STT and DT between the two groups. Conclusion Even if eating and swallowing ability recover somewhat after a stroke, survivors still have difficulty swallowing oral medication. Clinical assessment for ability to take oral medication is crucial and videofluoros-copy can be one useful tool.