Electrical bioimpedance measurement as a tool for dysphagia visualisation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Physiology
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Swallowing disorders (dysphagia) significantly impact quality of life.
• Accurate assessment of pharyngeal closure during swallowing is crucial for diagnosis and rehabilitation.
• Current assessment methods can be invasive or lack portability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a non-invasive, portable bioimpedance device for detecting pharyngeal closure during swallowing.
• To assess the correlation between bioimpedance measurements and pharyngeal pressure dynamics.

Main Methods:

• A 2-channel bioimpedance device was developed, measuring electric impedance across the neck at two pharyngeal levels.
• Injected currents at 40 and 70 kHz were used.
• The device was trialled on healthy and dysphagic subjects, with data compared to pharyngeal manometry.

Main Results:

• A correlation (r = 0.59) was found between the temporal separation of bioimpedance waveform peaks and descending pharyngeal pressure.
• Key waveform features were clearly visible in only 64% of swallows, indicating variability.
• The device demonstrated potential in distinguishing swallowing events.

Conclusions:

• The developed bioimpedance device shows promise for non-invasively assessing pharyngeal closure during swallowing.
• Improvements in measurement reliability and waveform feature validation are needed for optimal efficacy in dysphagia rehabilitation.
• This technology could offer a valuable tool for dysphagia assessment and therapy.