Menu
Back to Journals » International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease » Volume 10 » Issue 1
Oral and pharyngeal bolus transit in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors Cassiani R, Santos C, Baddini-Martinez J, Dantas RO
Received 26 September 2014
Accepted for publication 1 December 2014
Published 5 March 2015 Volume 2015:10(1) Pages 489—496
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S74945
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single-blind
Peer reviewer comments 3
Editor who approved publication: Dr Richard Russell
Rachel Aguiar Cassiani, Carla Manfredi Santos, José Baddini-Martinez, Roberto Oliveira Dantas
Department of Medicine, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
Background: Patients with respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), may have swallowing dysfunction.
Objective: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing in patients with COPD.
Methods: We studied 16 patients with clinical manifestations and pulmonary function tests diagnosis of COPD (mean age: 68 years) and 15 nonsmoking healthy volunteers (mean age: 65 years) with normal pulmonary function tests. All subjects were submitted to clinical and videofluoroscopic evaluation of swallowing. Each subject performed in duplicate swallows of 5 mL and 10 mL of liquid bolus, paste bolus, and a solid bolus.
Results: In general, the duration of the events of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing was longer in COPD patients than controls. The difference was significant in the laryngeal vestibular closure, hyoid movement, and pharyngeal transit with swallows of both volumes of liquid bolus; in oral–pharyngeal transit with 5 mL paste bolus; and in pharyngeal and oral–pharyngeal transit with solid bolus. The difference between the duration of maximal laryngeal elevation and the duration of pharyngeal transit was higher in control subjects than in patients with COPD.
Conclusion: The results suggested that patients with COPD have a longer pharyngeal swallowing phase than normal subjects, which is associated with a decrease in the difference between the duration of maximal laryngeal elevation and the duration of pharyngeal transit.
Keywords: COPD, videofluoroscopy, oral–pharyngeal transit, swallowing, deglutition
This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.
By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.