Abstract
Appropriate training and treatment based on evaluation are important for patients with dysphagia after head and neck surgery, and improvement of efficiency will bring better results. However, many of the rehabilitation techniques that have been developed focused on patients with dysphagia caused by stroke.
Roughly speaking, the standardized evaluation includes a screening test and diagnosis of dysphagia. The repetitive saliva swallowing test is widely used for screening of aspiration, and the cough test for silent aspiration. From our investigation, the results of screening tests were partially different between head and neck patients and other patints. Videofluorography and videoendoscopy are useful for diagnosis.
Moreover, we need to know how head and neck surgery affect the pharyngeal stage of swallowing when giving appropriate training to patients. Our study showed that head and neck surgery caused some characteristic changes in pharyngeal swallowing.
The clinical pathway made our rehabilitation system more efficient. The team approach depending on each hospital or environment leads to successful dysphagia rehabilitation.
