View clinical trials related to Dysphagia.
Filter by:The long-term goal of this research program is to advance the treatment of swallowing disorders in elderly adults. This study will identify the impact of an 8-week progressive resistance exercise program for oral muscles on swallowing physiology, anatomy, dietary intake, and Quality of Life (QOL) in frail dysphagic adults. Findings from the exercise program may indicate new directions for treatments and techniques designed to influence the biological underpinnings of dysphagia in elderly persons. Translation of these findings into clinical practice will have far-reaching significance in the fields of gerontology, speech language pathology, and long-term care.
Electropalatography (EPG), a noninvasive device that provides specific visual output on tongue-palate contact, has well-established usefulness as a biofeedback tool in speech therapy. While EPG has also been shown to be capable of revealing the details of linguopalatal interactions during swallowing, its applicability in swallowing therapy has not been evaluated to date. This study will determine if EPG can facilitate bolus propulsion in patients presenting with swallowing problems of the oral phase. Seven patients with oral dysphagia will be selected to serve as subjects based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, and each will be custom-fitted with a pseudo-palate. Each patient will undergo four 45-minute sessions of biofeedback training with emphasis on developing systematic front-to-back anchoring of the tongue against the palate during propulsion of liquid and semisolid boluses. Ultrasound imaging will be used to determine swallow durations and identify oral deficits of swallowing before the EPG biofeedback training, and to identify any changes that may result from the training. Quantitative measurements will also be made of the swallow-related EPG contact timing and pattern before and after training and compared for each individual subject as a function of training and bolus volume. Appropriate statistical analyses will be conducted.