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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe biomechanical correlates of the surface electromyographic signal obtained during swallowing by healthy adult volunteers. Method: Seventeen healthy adults were evaluated with simultaneous videofluoroscopy and surface electromyography (sEMG) while swallowing 5 mL of liquid barium sulfate. Three biomechanical swallowing events were analyzed: hyoid elevation, pharyngeal constriction, and opening-closing of the pharyngoesophageal segment. For each biomechanical event and from the sEMG signal, the authors identified onset, peak, and offset time points. From these points, duration measures were calculated. Means and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each measure. Subsequently, correlations were evaluated between timing aspects of the sEMG traces and each biomechanical event. Results: Swallow onset in the sEMG signal preceded the onset of all biomechanical events. All biomechanical events demonstrated a strong correspondence to the sEMG signal. The strongest relationship was between hyoid elevation-anterior displacement and the sEMG signal. Conclusions: These results suggest that the sEMG signal is a useful indicator of major biomechanical events in the swallow. Future studies should address the impact of age and disease processes, as well as bolus characteristics, on the biomechanical correlates of sEMG signals obtained during swallowing. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

Purpose: This article investigated the effects of increased oral lingual pressure on pharyngeal pressures during swallowing in patients who have undergone radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. It was hypothesized that increased oral lingual pressure would result in increased pharyngeal pressures. Method: A within-subject experimental design was used with 20 participants who were status post external beam radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Participants completed typical swallows and swallows with increased lingual force during manofluoroscopic swallow studies. The swallow condition order was randomized across participants. Results: Manometric data revealed significant differences in swallow pressure by condition at the base of tongue and upper esophageal sphincter sensor locations without significant pressure differences in the lower pharynx. The effortful lingual swallows resulted in higher mean pressures at all locations. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that use of a maneuver designed to increase oral tongue effort can also increase pharyngeal tongue base pressure. Therefore, therapeutic activities used to generate greater pressure of the oral tongue may also alter pharyngeal response. Further research is needed to determine the direct clinical effect on swallow function for individuals with head and neck cancer., Cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx is one of the 10 most common tumor sites, with an incidence of 16.5 per 100,000 (U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2013). Although [...]

Features associated with the production of linguistic prosody were investigated in seven young speech-disordered children and seven young children with age-appropriate speech abilities. The primary differences between groups were in time characteristics of imitated responses. Results are discussed in terms of physiologic and/or linguistic processes. (Author/DB)

Objective: This study sought to evaluate the role and trajectory of spontaneous swallowing frequency (SFA) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy (C/RT). Study Design. Prospective cohort. Setting: University comprehensive cancer center. Methods: A prospective cohort of 80 patients with HNC was followed from baseline to 3 months post-C/RT. Subjects were evaluated for performance on swallowing function, functional diet consumed, weight, swallowing frequency rate, perceived xerostomia, perceived pain, and mucositis. Relationships were evaluated using univariate correlations, t tests, and repeated-measures analysis of variance. The diagnostic accuracy of SFA to express dysphagia was calculated by area under the curve (AUROC) and displayed using receiver operator characteristic curves. Results: In general, patients with HNC demonstrated a parabolic decline in most measures over the C/RT trajectory. SFA and perceived xerostomia did not show improved recovery by 3 months. SFA was related to swallow function, xerostomia, and functional diet consumed posttreatment and pain at 3 months. The ability of SFA to correctly identify clinical dysphagia (Mann Assessment of Swallowing–Cancer version [MASA-C]) and reduced oral intake (Functional Oral Intake Scale [FOIS]) at posttreatment was strong (AUROC MASA-C: 0.824 [95% CI, 0.63-1.00], P <.0018; AUROC FOIS: 0.96 [95% CI, 0.87-0.96], P <.0001). Conclusion: This exploratory study suggests SFA may provide a useful method to identify dysphagia after HNC treatment. Furthermore, SFA may offer a simple, objective measure of swallowing function change in HNC over the C/RT trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe biomechanical correlates of the surface electromyographic signal obtained during swallowing by healthy adult volunteers. Method: Seventeen healthy adults were evaluated with simultaneous videofluoroscopy and surface electromyography (sEMG) while swallowing 5 mL of liquid barium sulfate. Three biomechanical swallowing events were analyzed: hyoid elevation, pharyngeal constriction, and opening--closing of the pharyngoesophageal segment. For each biomechanical event and from the sEMG signal, the authors identified onset, peak, and offset time points. From these points, duration measures were calculated. Means and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each measure. Subsequently, correlations were evaluated between timing aspects of the sEMG traces and each biomechanical event. Results: Swallow onset in the sEMG signal preceded the onset of all biomechanical events. All biomechanical events demonstrated a strong correspondence to the sEMG signal. The strongest relationship was between hyoid elevation--anterior displacement and the sEMG signal. Conclusions: These results suggest that the sEMG signal is a useful indicator of major biomechanical events in the swallow. Future studies should address the impact of age and disease processes, as well as bolus characteristics, on the biomechanical correlates of sEMG signals obtained during swallowing. KEY WORDS: electromyography, videofluoroscopy, swallowing assessment, Swallowing is a complex sensorimotor function that incorporates activity from multiple muscle groups in the upper aerodigestive tract. Muscle activity associated with swallowing movements may be evaluated with intramuscular or [...]