Dysphagia in individuals with nasopharyngeal cancer following radiotherapy - Videofluoroscopic swallowing examination

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to define the impairment of swallowing functions in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients after radiotherapy. Forty-three NPC patients were referred to our department for evaluation and management of dysphagia from January 1994 through July 1994. Clinical information was obtained by an experienced speech pathologist. Videofluoroscopic swallowing examinations (VSE) were used to evaluate their swallowing functions. The results showed that 63% of the patients had impaired tongue movement, 56% experienced nasopharyngeal regurgitation, 79% had pharyngeal stasis, abnormal epiglottis tilting, and delayed swallowing reflexes, and 89% had aspiration phenomenon. The patients who had received radiotherapy more than 5 years prior to VSE had significantly reduced tongue movement compared with those who received radiotherapy within 5 years. The dosage of radiation was not related to the severity of dysphagia. We found that the NPC patients had a high risk of dysphagia following radiotherapy. VSE may identify the exact causes of their swallowing problems and provide crucial information for prescribing proper rehabilitation programs.