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Updated: Sep 5, 2025
Adapting Human Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study Methods to Detect and Characterize Dysphagia in Murine Disease Models
Published on: March 1, 2015
Analysis of Sex-related Differences in Patients with Dysphagia: Using a Videofluoroscopy
Firas Kassem1,2, Muhamed Masalha3,4, Ameen Biadsee1,2
1Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.
Background:
Dysphagia is a common symptom with diverse etiologies and refers to disorders of the process of swallowing food or fluids. Many studies have reported the anatomical and functional differences between men and women in swallowing in healthy patients; however, sex discrepancies in symptomatic patients have not often been studied.
Objectives:
To compare the performance of men and women with dysphagia using videofluoroscopy.
Methods:
To compare the performance of men and women with dysphagia using videofluoroscopy.
Results:
A total of 203 patients met the inclusion criteria, 106 men (52%) and 97 women (48%). Men complained significantly more about choking on liquids (P = 0.002) and in swallowing pills (P = 0.004) compared to women. Men had more abnormalities in the pharyngeal phase (P = 0.015) and at the upper esophageal sphincter (P = 0.056). The prevalence of aspiration, penetration, and barium residue in the hypopharynx and in the vallecula were significantly greater in men as well.
Conclusions:
In patients with dysphagia, women had fewer subjective symptoms and performed better than men in videofluoroscopy especially in the pharyngeal phase. These differences are probably due to different anatomical and functional swallowing characteristics. A better understanding of these discrepancies can be useful in offering tailored treatment in clinical practice.
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