Effect of a standardized fluoroscopic procedural approach on fluoroscopy time during infant modified barium swallow studies.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric dysphagia is a term used to describe dysfunctional feeding and swallowing in infants and children. It is estimated that about 1% of children in the United States are affected by these swallowing problems annually. The modified barium swallow study (MBSS) is considered by many as the gold standard in oropharyngeal swallowing assessment. Despite its diagnostic benefits, MBSS exposes infants to ionizing radiation, which carries potentially deleterious long-term effects for the pediatric population. OBJECTIVES: Test the effect of a standardized MBSS procedural protocol on fluoroscopy time when compared to a non-standardized procedural approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of infants ≤12 months who underwent a MBSS between 2011 and 2017 was conducted. Charts were reviewed for fluoroscopy time, age, primary diagnosis, MBSS indication, and severity of swallowing deficits. Infants were categorized as non-protocol or standardized protocol based on the utilized method of videofluoroscopic swallow study execution. RESULTS: A total of 1378 MBSS' were included in the analysis. Swallow studies conducted using the standardized procedural protocol had significantly shorter fluoroscopy times (1.5 min) when compared to non-protocol group (2.0 min) (p < 0.001). Patients who aspirated had significantly longer fluoroscopy times when compared to patients who did not aspirate across both groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Fluoroscopy time is influenced by both procedural and patient factors. Use of a standardized fluoroscopic procedural protocol appears to reduce fluoroscopy time and variability across patients.

Capturing infant swallow impairment on videofluoroscopy: timing matters.

BACKGROUND: Infant videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSSs) require clinicians to make determinations about swallowing deficits based on a limited number of fluoroscopically observed swallows. Although airway protection is known to decline throughout a bottle-feed, the paucity of data regarding the timing of this degradation has limited the development of procedural protocols that maximize diagnostic validity. OBJECTIVE: We tested the stability of key components of swallow physiology and airway protection at four standardized timepoints throughout the VFSS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty bottle-fed infants with clinical signs of swallow dysfunction underwent VFSS. Fluoroscopy was turned on to allow visualization of five swallows at 0:00, 0:30, 1:30 and 2:30 (minutes:seconds [min:s]). We evaluated swallows for components of swallow physiology (oral bolus hold, initiation of pharyngeal swallow, timing of swallow initiation) and airway protection (penetration, aspiration). We used model-based linear contrasts to test differences in the percentage of swallows with low function component attributes. RESULTS: All components of swallow physiology exhibited a change throughout the VFSS (P≤0.0005). Changes were characterized by an increase in the number of sucks per swallow (P<0.0001), percentage of swallows with incomplete bolus hold (P=0.0005), delayed initiation of pharyngeal swallow (P<0.0001), delayed timing of swallow initiation (P=0.0004) and bolus airway entry (P<0.0001). These findings demonstrate that infants with dysphagia exhibit a change in swallow physiology throughout the videofluoroscopic swallow exam. CONCLUSION: Fluoroscopic visualization that is confined to the initial swallows of the bottle feed limit the exam's diagnostic validity. Developing evidence-based procedural guidelines for infant VFSS execution is crucial for maximizing the exam's diagnostic and treatment yield.

Radiation exposure contribution of the scout abdomen radiograph in common pediatric fluoroscopic procedures.

BACKGROUND: Contrast enema, voiding cystourethrography and upper gastrointestinal studies are the most common fluoroscopic procedures in children. Scout abdomen radiographs have been routinely obtained prior to fluoroscopy and add to the radiation exposure from these procedures. Elimination of unnecessary routine scout radiographs in select studies might significantly reduce radiation exposure to children and improve the overall benefit-to-risk ratio of these fluoroscopic procedures. OBJECTIVE: To determine the radiation exposure contribution of the preliminary/scout abdomen radiographs with respect to the radiation exposure of the total procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively collected demographic information and radiation exposure values of dose area product (in Gy-cm(2)) and entrance air kerma (in mGy) - initially for the scout abdomen radiographs done prior to fluoroscopy and subsequently the total procedural radiation values (the combined values of the scout radiograph and fluoroscopic radiation exposure) - in children who underwent contrast enemas, voiding cystourethrograms and upper gastrointestinal studies in a 4-month period. The radiation parameters, including fluoroscopy time, dose area product and entrance air kerma, were available in the log book maintained in the fluoroscopy suite. Fluoroscopy procedures were performed on a single fluoroscopy machine using four frames per second pulse rate and other radiation-minimizing techniques. Usage of the grid to obtain scout radiographs was also recorded. The proportion of radiation exposure from the scout radiograph relative to that of the total procedure was calculated by dividing the individual parameters of the scout to the total procedural values and multiplied by 100 to express these values as a percentage. We calculated mean, median and range and performed statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS: A total of 151 procedures performed on 71 males and 80 females qualified for the study. The age range of the patients was 2 days to 18 years, with a mean of nearly 3.5 years (40 months) and median of 15 months. There were 63 upper gastrointestinal studies, 65 voiding cystourethrography studies and 23 contrast enema studies. The fluoroscopy time for all procedures combined ranged from 0.1 min (6 s) to 2 min, with mean and median values of 0.4 min and 0.3 min, respectively. The fractional radiation exposure contribution for the dose area product of scout abdomen radiograph to the total procedure ranged from 4% to 98%, with mean and median values of 51% and 49%, respectively. The fractional contribution of the scout radiograph to the total procedure for the entrance air kerma values ranged from 6% to 97%, with mean and median values of 29% and 26%, respectively. There was a significant negative correlation (P<0.001) between fluoroscopy radiation time and the proportion of radiation parameters of scout radiograph to total procedural values. CONCLUSION: Scout radiographs can contribute a significant proportion (median values of approximately 50% for the dose area product and 26% for the entrance air kerma) of radiation exposure in common fluoroscopy procedures in children.