Comparison of straw and cup for liquid swallowing in poststroke patients

The purposes of this study were to compare poststroke liquid swallowing methods by including a cup and a straw in videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) and to test the hypothesis that increased aspiration would be observed with the cup compared to the straw. Eighty-five poststroke patients who had undergone VFSS using a spoon, cup, and straw were included. Penetration-aspiration scale and functional dysphagia scale (FDS) were used for assessment. These scores did not differ significantly between the cup and the straw. Higher FDS scores were found with the cup than with the straw in patients who had penetration/aspiration with both the cup and the straw and with the cup only. However, FDS scores did not differ significantly between the cup and the straw in patients who had penetration/aspiration with the straw only. Although advantages of the straw over the cup were clear, some patients showed penetration/aspiration only with the straw.