ENT and Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Tours, 2 Boulevard Tonnelé , 37044, Tours, France.
Francois-Rabelais University of Tours, University Hospital of Tours, 10 Boulevard Tonnelé, 37032, Tours, France.
Dysphagia. 2024 Jun;39(3):452-458. doi: 10.1007/s00455-023-10629-3. Epub 2023 Nov 18.
Swallowing disorders in the elderly represent a public health problem, their detections are a medico-economic issue. The acoustic analysis of swallowing has the advantages of being non-invasive with no radiation, compared to videofluoroscopy or fiberoptic swallowing assessments. Acoustic analysis of swallowing has been tested in many studies but only on small food boluses. The aim of this study was to compare the acoustic swallowing parameters of two groups of healthy subjects, before and after 70 years old, during the intake of a series of 3 food textures. A laryngophone was used to record the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. The experimental meal was composed of 100 ml of mashed potatoes, 100 ml of water, and 100 ml of yogurt. Group 1 (50-70 years old) comprised 21 subjects and group 2 (over 70 years old) 23 subjects. Acoustic parameters analyzed were the number of swallows, average duration of swallowing, average duration of inter-swallowing, meal duration, and the average frequency of swallowing per minute. These parameters for groups 1 and 2 were compared. The average duration of inter-swallowing and the meal duration were significantly higher in the older group (p < 0.001), with a mean duration of inter-swallowing that was 2.4 s longer than the younger group. The average swallowing frequency per minute was higher in the younger group (11.3 vs 7.9; p < 0.001). This study demonstrated that acoustic analysis of an experimental meal of three food textures generated usable data on swallowing. In the over 70 age group, there was a decrease in swallowing frequency, indicating a slowdown in food intake. A reduced swallowing frequency could become a criteria to assess presbyphagia.
老年人吞咽障碍是一个公共卫生问题，其检测是一个医学经济学问题。与视频透视或纤维光学吞咽评估相比，吞咽的声学分析具有非侵入性且无辐射的优点。吞咽声学分析已在许多研究中进行了测试，但仅针对小的食物团块。本研究旨在比较两组健康受试者在 70 岁前后摄入一系列 3 种质地的食物时的吞咽声学参数。使用喉音器记录吞咽的咽期。实验餐由 100ml 土豆泥、100ml 水和 100ml 酸奶组成。第 1 组（50-70 岁）有 21 名受试者，第 2 组（70 岁以上）有 23 名受试者。分析的声学参数包括吞咽次数、吞咽平均持续时间、吞咽间平均持续时间、餐时和每分钟平均吞咽频率。比较了 1 组和 2 组的这些参数。老年组的吞咽间平均持续时间和餐时明显较长（p<0.001），比年轻组长 2.4 秒。年轻组的平均每分钟吞咽频率较高（11.3 次/分钟对 7.9 次/分钟；p<0.001）。这项研究表明，对三种质地的实验餐进行声学分析可以产生可用于吞咽的有用数据。在 70 岁以上的年龄组中，吞咽频率下降，表明食物摄入速度减慢。降低的吞咽频率可能成为评估老年人吞咽困难的标准。
