Endoscopic evaluation of neurological dysphagic patients

Dysphagia is a frequent finding in neurological patients and is a symptom related to the severity of the clinical picture. The swallowing impairments, in these patients, increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia, that leads to death, in at least 6% of patients, within the first year. Therefore, evaluation of the swallowing status is essential in patients with dysphagia and videofluoroscopic study of swallowing (VFSS) is the method of choice. It cannot be performed in all patients on account of the complexity of the procedure and since they must be brought to the Radiology Unit. In the 1980, a new bedside method was introduced, namely: fiber-optic endoscopic study of swallow (FESS) which is easy, low-cost, well-tolerated and repeatable. We use this bedside technique to assess swallowing function in patients with dysphagia admitted to acute care units, neurological and internal medicine units. The evaluation aims to indicate the safer nutritional method (oral intake, feeding tube or percutaneous gastrostomy) and, consequently, reducing the risk of aspiration pneumonia during hospitalization. We found that more than 50% of the dysphagic patients present cerebrovascular injuries and in 2% of the population, the first diagnostic hypothesis of Myasthenia Gravis can be made with the FESS technique. In 60%, we indicate a change in nutritional method: in 20% we indicate percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). With these indications, none of those patients had aspiration pneumonia. Our protocol for the bedside fiberoptic study of neurological patients with dysphagia has demonstrated its efectiveness by eliminating the incidence of aspiration pneumonia.