Archives

Handout: What is Barium Sulfate and How Does it Affect My Body?

February 29, 2024 by Ashley Zhinin.
During a modified barium swallow study, barium helps assess a person’s swallowing function. A medical professional can use this handout to discuss whether a modified barium swallow study is best for the person and how barium affects the body.
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Changes in Swallowing After Laryngectomy

August 1, 2023 by Ashley Zhinin.
After a total laryngectomy, there is likely no concern for aspiration. However, there are still structural changes that will impact swallowing function that the medical team should consider.
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Dysphagia Following a Total Laryngectomy: The Effect on Quality of Life, Functioning, and Psychological Well-Being (2009)

August 1, 2023 by Ashley Zhinin.
The authors of this study wanted to see if dysphagia affected people’s QoL, functioning, and psychological well-being after a total laryngectomy. This research study is the first known of this kind to learn from self-reported documentation for total laryngectomies. It is also the first study to examine QoL and psychological well-being measures for people with […]
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Dysphagia, voice problems, and pain in head and neck cancer patients (2021)

July 1, 2023 by Ashley Zhinin.
HNC treatment can cause devastating physical and emotional side effects and impact the QoL for people with HNC. The authors of this study wanted to explore the prevalence of dysphagia, voice problems, and pain for a larger group of individuals with HNC. Specifically, they looked at their sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors. In addition, they […]
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Introduction to the Patient with Laryngectomy – What the SLP Should Know

July 5, 2022 by Ashley Zhinin.
This course covers information regarding post-laryngectomy anatomy and physiology including typical vs post-laryngectomy and tracheostomy vs laryngectomy. Gain an overview of techniques for voice restoration after a laryngectomy, including esophageal speech, electrolarynx, and tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis. Post-laryngectomy pulmonary rehabilitation and dysphagia will be reviewed.
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Preventative Swallowing Exercises During Chemoradiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

March 1, 2022 by Ashley Zhinin.
This material provides information on the importance of consulting speech therapy prior to chemoradiotherapy (CRT), changes or complications in swallowing function that can be seen following CRT, and the effectiveness of implementing a preventative, high-intensity behavioral intervention by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) to preserve musculature and functional swallowing ability
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Patient Experiences of Swallowing Exercises After Head and Neck Cancer: A Qualitative Study Examining Barriers and Facilitators Using Behavior Change Theory (2017)

January 13, 2022 by Megan Berg.
The current research suggests about 55% of people had complete non-adherence and 36% had partial adherence for individuals with head and neck cancer. Common reasons patient have given in the past for poor adherence include not having dysphagia at the time of evaluation, poor understanding about the rationale for exercises, the exercises are difficult, being […]
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Pretreatment Swallowing Exercises Improve Swallow Function After Chemoradiation (2008)

January 13, 2022 by Megan Berg.
Within this retrospective case-control, there were eighteen participants with advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx treated with both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nine of the patients were included in the pretreatment swallowing exercises group and the other nine were included in the control group and completed swallowing exercises after receiving chemoradiation […]
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