Postswallow voice modification: compatibility with videofluoroscopy findings

Verify whether voice modification after swallowing is associated with videofluoroscopic examination data.

27 patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia underwent recording of sustained phonation of vowel /a/ before and after swallowing during videofluoroscopy. The GRBAS scale and the wet voice parameter were used to evaluate the data. Videofluoroscopy results showed stasis of food in the valleculae and piriform recesses, laryngeal penetration, tracheal aspiration, and degree of dysphagia.

Decreased dysphonia grade and asthenia and increased strain were observed after swallowing, with no difference for the wet voice parameter. Sensitivity and specificity of ± 50% were observed for food stasis in the valleculae and piriform recesses. Sensitivity values of 80 and 66-75% were observed for detection of laryngeal penetration and tracheal aspiration and modification of vocal strain, respectively. Negative predictive values of 77-91% were found for the three assessment parameters with no correlation with the degree of oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Modification of the GRBAS scale parameters after swallowing showed good compatibility with videofluoroscopy findings.