Evaluation of hyoid movement during swallowing using a bend sensor

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics of swallowing
• Physiology of deglutition
• Medical instrumentation

Background:

• Hyoid and laryngeal complex movement is crucial for safe swallowing and preventing aspiration.
• A non-invasive bend sensor system was developed to measure laryngeal movement during swallowing.
• Previous work established the temporal coordination between the sensor signal and hyoid motion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess the association between the bend sensor's output value and hyoid bone movement during the swallowing process.

Main Methods:

• A bend sensor was attached to the neck midline of 13 healthy adult males.
• Swallowing of 5 mL water was recorded simultaneously using the bend sensor and videofluorography.
• Pearson correlation coefficients analyzed the relationship between sensor output (LM value) and hyoid displacement (x- and y-axes).

Main Results:

• A positive correlation was observed between the LM value and overall hyoid position (r=0.647 for x-axis, r=0.233 for y-axis).
• A moderate to high correlation was found between the LM value and anterior (x-axis) hyoid movement across individual tasks (r ranging from 0.453 to 0.934).

Conclusions:

• The LM value derived from the bend sensor serves as a quantitative indicator of anterior hyoid movement during swallowing.
• This measurement may correlate with bolus transit and the opening of the upper esophageal sphincter.