Endoscopic video swallow research and swallowing disorders is the topic of the day. How is swallowing difficulty diagnosed? Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and when they began. Your doctor will do a physical examination and look in your oral cavity to check for abnormalities or swelling. More specialized tests may be needed to find the exact cause. A barium X-ray is often used to check the inside of the esophagus for abnormalities or blockages. During this examination, you will swallow liquid or a pill containing a dye that shows up on an abdominal X-ray. The doctor will look at the X-ray image as you swallow the liquid or pill to see how the esophagus functions. This will help identify any weaknesses or abnormalities.
In some circumstances, certain techniques may be used for both compensation and rehabilitative purposes. For example, the super-supraglottic swallow is a rehabilitative technique that increases closure at the entrance to the airway. If used during a meal, it can serve as a compensation to protect the airway. Upon completion of the clinical and/or instrumental evaluation, the clinician should be able to use the acquired data to identify which treatment options would be most beneficial. Treatment options for patients with dysphagia should be selected on the basis of evidence-based practice, which includes a combination of the best available evidence from published literature, the patient’s and family’s wishes, and the clinician’s experience. Options for dysphagia intervention include medical, surgical, and behavioral treatment. See extra info on Dysphagia.
The first step in treatment is to make the proper diagnosis. This involves a medical history and various tests to find the cause of the dysphagia. Often a team approach to treatment is needed. Several types of health care providers — physicians, registered dietitian, psychologist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist — work together to develop the best program. An important part of the treatment is helping the patient get adequate nutrition, while protecting against complications such as pneumonia from food or liquid getting into the lungs. Obviously, this requires a specialized diet. There are five different diet levels from pureed (level 1) up through modified regular food (level 5). The diets vary in texture and consistency, and are chosen depending on which would be most effective for a specific patient.
As South Louisiana’s only mobile swallowing diagnostics service provider, we’re working hard to ensure our company reaches as many patients and clinicians as possible. In addition to presenting at multiple state conferences and hosting several Continuing Education (CEU) events in the New Orleans area every year, our owner works tirelessly to ensure our team is speed on the current research. We’re happy to work with your facility to offer educational sessions to your staff members. Find additional info at www.dysphagiainmotion.com.
