Evaluation of a method of training for patients with mild dysphagia

Abstract

Four elderly patients, complaining of an abnormal sensation in the pharynx and/or larynx during swallowing, but without any aspiration of food, received training designed to alleviate their symptoms. The findings of pharyngoesophageal fluoroscopy after training were compared with the pre-training findings. During the training, each patient was instructed to keep the mandible pulled strongly towards the chest, and the trainer manually pulled and stretched the patient's mandible for a while, with the patient's chin immobilized by the trainer's hand. This manipulation allowed the time needed for the passage of contrast material to decrease in 2 cases. Furthermore, following this training, the height of the thyroid cartilage at rest thus became higher than the pre-treatment level in all 4 patients. An improvement in the closure of the pharynx in association with the soft palate was also noted. Although this is a very simple method of training, it is promising as a means of both alleviating a lower-than-normal position of the larynx and suppressing the aspiration of food which is caused by this abnormality.