Validity and reliability of a French version of M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory

To assess the internal consistency, reliability, and clinical validity of a French version of the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (Fr-MDADI).

Patients addressed in the Swallowing Clinics of CHU Saint-Pierre Hospital (Brussels) and EpiCURA hospital (Ath, Belgium) for dysphagia completed Fr-MDADI, eating assessment tool-10 (EAT-10), dysphagia handicap index (DHI), and benefited from fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and videofluoroscopy. Seventy-two asymptomatic individuals composed the control group. The reliability of Fr-MDADI was assessed through a test-retest procedure. The validity was assessed by comparing Fr-MDADI with EAT-10 scores. Normative value of Fr-MDADI was calculated through the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Forty-two patients and 77 healthy individuals completed the evaluations (33 males). The main etiology of dysphagia was head and neck cancers. The internal consistency was high regarding the Cronbach's alpha (0.864). The test-retest reliability was high for Fr-MDADI total scores (r_s = 0.849). The Fr-MDADI emotional, functional and physical subscores, and the total score exhibited high positive correlations with EAT-10 (r_s = 0.770) and DHI (r_s = 0.811), exhibiting high external validity. Patients had significant higher item and total score of Fr-MDADI compared with healthy individuals (control group), which indicated an adequate internal validity. About normative data, a Fr-MDADI > 13 was considered to be reflective of abnormalities. The 'swallowing-induced cough' item of the Fr-MDADI was significantly associated with the occurrence of aspirations regarding objective examinations (FEES or videofluoroscopy; p = 0.001).

The Fr-MDADI is a reliable and valid self-administered tool in the evaluation of the dysphagia of French-speaking patients.