2.2 Assessment of swallowing
Swallowing assessment was conducted with the modified barium swallow
(MBS) study.21 During the MBS, the patient sits
upright on a chair or stands on a platform. Thin liquids were
administered to subjects with increasing volume (1, 3, 5, and 10 ml),
and food items of different consistencies that have been mixed with
barium-sulfateācontaining products (VaribarĀ®, Bracco Diagnostics Inc.,
Monroe Twp., NJ) were also administered. The standard lateral
radiographic views from the lips to the cervical spine and from the
nasopharynx to the upper esophageal sphincter were obtained. We
evaluated swallowing performance in each process of the oral (e.g.,
tongue mobility and mouth residues), pharyngeal (e.g., triggering of
pharyngeal swallow, laryngeal elevation and epiglottic closure and nasal
regurgitation) and esophageal (e.g., obstruction, passage, and reflux)
phases.