[Understanding the use of self-evaluation questionnaires when assessing a patient's swallowing capacity and performing follow-up activities]. / Intérêt des echelles d'autoévaluation dans le bilan et le suivi des troubles de la déglutition.

The purpose of this study was to examine the possibility of improving the assessment protocol of dysphagia and show the interest of adding a self-assessment evaluation scale to the traditional functional assessment of the swallowing process. We have a comparison of the assessment of 30 dysphagic patients with two different scales (DHI and EAT-10). Results show that the self-evaluation scales selected led to quantitative data comparable to the objective results of the COLP-FR-G functional assessment tool. We may therefore conclude that the patients' own feelings do not differ from the results of the clinical dysphagia severity assessment. Results also highlight that both scales provide similar information in terms of content and also reflect the evolution of objective data. The EAT-10 scale, by its simplicity and limited number of questions, could be proposed as a screening test in neurological patients and geriatric population, where the DHI scale, with its three subdomains (physical, functional and emotional), would be a complementary tool for the functional swallowing evaluation. Indeed, in order to evaluate dysphagia, the association of DHI, EAT-10 and COLP-FR-G offers several advantages. This protocol is convenient and rapid to administrate, it takes the diversity of etiologies into account and its score is easy to transmit to the patients' medical practitioners. Consequently, its use in the assessment of swallowing functions should be encouraged as a consistent part of the clinical practice.

[Diagnosis of non-organic dysphonia in adult]. / Diagnostic d'une dysphonie non organique de l'adulte.

Non organic dysphonia or functional voice disorders are the consequence of a vocal misuse or overuse with inefficient oral communication. Any stage of voice production can be altered. A review of physiopathological, aerodynamic and biomechanical mechanisms will help to understand the onset of dysphonia. Organic lesions as a consequence of functional voice disorders are frequent but the link is not easy to establish. It is important to look for various physiologic, anatomic, environmental, behavioural and infectious factors that could induce or aggravate non organic dysphonia, as they can benefit from specific treatment. A thorough functional and organic assessment is the first step of the rehabilitation process, taking into account the patient's expectations about his voice handicap.