Thyroid cartilage loci and hyoid bone analysis using a video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS)

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Swallowing Physiology

Background:

• Hyoid bone movement is crucial for diagnosing oropharyngeal dysphagia.
• Current diagnostic methods like video fluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) involve radiation exposure.
• Thyroid cartilage is a visible anatomical landmark in the neck.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone movement.
• To assess the potential of thyroid cartilage movement as a parameter for swallowing evaluation.
• To gather data supporting the use of thyroid cartilage in dysphagia diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of VFSS images from 25 subjects with normal swallowing function.
• Utilized specialized semi-automatic software for image analysis.
• Extracted laryngeal prominence and hyoid bone coordinates to track movement along anterior-posterior and superior-inferior axes.

Main Results:

• Thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone exhibited similar movement patterns across subjects.
• Pearson correlation coefficients for coordinate components ranged from 0.611 to 0.981.
• Demonstrated a strong correlation between thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone movement in both axes.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone movements are strongly correlated during swallowing.
• Thyroid cartilage movement analysis offers a potential non-invasive method for swallowing evaluation.
• Further research can validate thyroid cartilage as a diagnostic parameter for oropharyngeal dysphagia.