Affiliations: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Republic of Korea
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Suk Hoon Ohn, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, 22 Gwanpyeong-ro, 170 Beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi-do 14068, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 31 380 3860; Fax: +82 31 380 3864; E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Laryngeal penetration, which is a less serious form of aspiration, should be considered in patients with stroke to ensure early detection of risk of laryngeal aspiration and prevention of pneumonia. OBJECTIVE:As a follow-up to a previous study that demonstrated the association of pharyngeal width to laryngeal aspiration, the present study sought to determine whether the pharyngeal width was related to not only laryngeal aspiration but also laryngeal penetration in patients with deglutition disorder following stroke. METHODS:The pharyngeal width on the roentgenogram was measured and compared based on the severity of aspiration. Moreover, the optimal cut-off points were determined for predicting the penetration and aspiration so that the difference between the penetration and the aspiration could be elucidated. RESULTS:The pharyngeal width of the patients was wider than the controls. The increase of the pharyngeal width by aspiration severity was more evident in the patients with chronic and right cerebral stroke. The optimal cut-off point of the pharyngeal width was approximately 1 mm lesser for the prediction of penetration than for aspiration. CONCLUSIONS:The pharyngeal width could be an ancillary method for detecting penetration and aspiration in stroke patients.
