Patient Reported Outcomes and Objective Swallowing Assessments in a Multidisciplinary Dysphagia Clinic

Dysphagia encompasses a complex compilation of symptoms which often differ from findings of objective swallowing evaluations. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the results of subjective dysphagia measures to objective measures of swallowing in patients evaluated in a multidisciplinary dysphagia clinic.

Prospective cohort study.

The study cohort included all patients evaluated in the multidisciplinary dysphagia clinic over 24 months. Participants were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team including a laryngologist, gastroenterologist, and speech-language pathologist. Evaluation included a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), and transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE). Data collected included diet (FOIS), Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) score, Reflux symptom index (RSI) score, and the findings of the VFSS exam.

A total of 75 patients were included in the analysis. The average EAT-10 score was 16.3 ± 2.1, RSI was 21.4 ± 0.6, and FOIS score was 6.0 ± 1.33. VFSS revealed impairments in the oral phase in 40% of the cohort, pharyngeal in 59%, and esophageal in 49%. Abnormalities were noted in one phase for 32%, in 2 phases in 32%, and three phases in 18%. Patients with abnormal pharyngeal findings on VFSS had significantly higher EAT-10 scores (P = .04). Patients with abnormal oral findings on VFSS were noted to have significantly lower FOIS scores (P = .03).

Data presented here demonstrate a relationship between patient reported symptoms and objective VFSS findings in a cohort of patients referred for multidisciplinary swallowing assessment suggesting such surveys are helpful screening tools but inadequate to fully characterize swallowing impairment.

3 Laryngoscope, 131:1088-1094, 2021.