Relationship between swallowing function and breathing/phonation.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Gerontology

Background:

• Swallowing disorders are common in elderly patients.
• Impaired respiratory and phonatory functions are suspected to contribute to dysphagia.
• Laryngeal elevation during swallowing is a critical component of airway protection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the association between swallowing function and respiratory/phonatory functions.
• To investigate the role of laryngeal elevation in aspiration.
• To identify potential screening tools for aspiration.

Main Methods:

• 30 patients with swallowing complaints underwent assessment of respiratory function (chest expansion score) and phonatory function (maximum phonation time).
• Aspiration was assessed using VESS and VFSS.
• Laryngeal elevation distance was measured during VFSS and correlated with respiratory/phonatory measures.

Main Results:

• Aspiration was associated with significantly shortened laryngeal elevation and higher videoendoscopic scores.
• Chest expansion was significantly reduced at the 10th rib level in patients with aspiration.
• Maximum phonation time was significantly shorter in patients with aspiration.
• Both chest expansion and maximum phonation time positively correlated with laryngeal elevation distance.

Conclusions:

• Reduced respiratory and phonatory functions may increase aspiration risk by impairing laryngeal elevation.
• Chest expansion at the 10th rib level and maximum phonation time are useful screening indicators for aspiration.