Define laryngeal penetration in barium swallow

What do you see? We all describe where the sun rises and sets in the same way. It rises in the east and sets in the west. So, why do different observers describe the same swallowing event using different sets of words? In seeking to standardize the descriptions of how swallowed contrast invades the airway during VF studies, the PA scale authors started with a series of tasks and questions. Investigators sought to standardize the descriptions of how swallowed contrast invades the airway during videofluoroscopic studies.

The aging swallow is not disordered. There are very typical changes that occur as we get older, and we should not mistake them for true dysphagia. However, aging does make a person more susceptible to dysphagia. Laryngeal penetration is normal, particularly in the aging population. Normal laryngeal penetration is not consistent, so if you are doing a swallow study with a patient and see laryngeal penetration consistently across trials, then that is more likely to be disordered compared to the patient who has only intermittent laryngeal penetration. Another important way to distinguish normal laryngeal penetration from disordered penetration is depth. If you are seeing laryngeal penetration that is reaching the level of the vocal folds, research suggests that is much more likely to be disordered, and much more likely to be predictive of actual aspiration.

To examine the relation between the presence of penetration or aspiration and the occurrence of the clinical indicators of dysphagia. The presence of penetration or aspiration is closely related to the clinical indicators of dysphagia. It is essential to understand these relationships in order to implement proper diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia. Fifty-eight poststroke survivors were divided into two groups: patients with or without penetration or aspiration. Medical records and videofluoroscopic swallowing examinations were reviewed.

Videofluoroscopic examination of swallowing VF is the gold standard in diagnosis and management of dysphagia. During VF, the patient ingests radiopaque foods and liquids, and oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal stages of swallowing physiology are observed and evaluated. Aspiration is defined as passage of materials through the vocal folds, and laryngeal penetration is defined as passage of materials into the larynx, but not through the vocal folds. In this study, we compared the risk of laryngeal penetration or aspiration during VF using various liquid volumes and food consistencies.