Archives

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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Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity (DIGEST) Scale

October 1, 2022 by Ashley Zhinin.
The Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity (DIGEST) Scale was created to generate a measure of pharyngeal dysphagia as a toxicity endpoint. This material explains its background and how to determine safety and efficiency grades to obtain a global rating of pharyngeal swallowing function.
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Sjogren’s Syndrome and Dysphagia

October 1, 2022 by Ashley Zhinin.
Sjogren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that causes dry mouth, which can lead to dysphagia with reduced saliva production. This handout explains more about this disorder and provides some swallowing strategies to consider.
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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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Three Swallowing Exercises for People with Parkinson’s

February 24, 2022 by Megan Berg.
This handout visualizes three exercises featured in the evidence base for people with Parkinson’s, including: Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST), the Masako, and chin tuck against resistance (CTAR).
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Yale Swallow Protocol

January 10, 2022 by Megan Berg.
The Yale Swallow Protocol (YSP) is a screening tool for swallowing. The person being screened either passes or fails, identifying individuals who would benefit from a more thorough evaluation of all aspects of swallowing function. This resource provides evidence regarding the sensitivity and specificity of the YSP and provides steps for completion and determination of pass/fail for appropriate recommendations to be made.
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The Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale (DOSS)

January 9, 2022 by Megan Berg.
The Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale (DOSS) is a scale studied and created at Hartford Hospital to systematically improve functional rating severity of dysphagia following an objective swallowing evaluation. This resource provides information regarding the scale and how to determine which level accurately describes a person’s swallowing function.
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The Brain and Swallowing

January 9, 2022 by Megan Berg.
Swallowing is a complex automatic process we often take for granted until this daily activity becomes difficult. This material provides some insight into how the brain stem and brain work simultaneously to make swallowing happen safely.
This content is only available to members.