Dysphagia development after surgery unrelated to laryngeal and pharyngeal structures

The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate swallowing capacity and dysphagia severity using VFSS and to determine their relationships to intra- and postoperative factors in long-lasting dysphagia patients who had undergone an operation unrelated to pharyngeal and laryngeal structures. Twenty-six patients without a definite cause of dysphagia were selected from among patients admitted to our hospital from January 2006 to December 2007. Videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS) and ASHA NOMS swallowing level (ASHA level) at 1 month postoperatively were used to determine dysphagia severity and swallowing capacity. Intraoperative factors (endotracheal tube size, intubation time, and total anesthetic time) and postoperative factors (tracheostomy history, vocal cord palsy, and postoperative delirium) were investigated to determine their relationships with VDS and ASHA level. No significant relationship was found between these factors and VDS or ASHA level by Pearson's or Spearman's correlation testing. Further prospective studies are required to identify the causative factors of long-lasting dysphagia after surgical procedures unrelated to pharyngeal and laryngeal structures.