Skoretz Stacey A, Adams Arlo, Vogl A Wayne, Raverty Stephen, Haulena Martin, Stahl Hillary, Dawson Camilla
School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Front Vet Sci. 2024 Jul 18;11:1412173. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1412173. eCollection 2024.
Thousands of rescued harbor seals () require rehabilitation worldwide. Many require resource intensive gavage feeding due to abandonment soon after birth. Little is known about seal swallowing, therefore, our primary objective was to determine the feasibility of conducting videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFS) on seal pups prior to their release. Secondarily, we propose swallowing phase descriptions. We adapted a VFS approach used in humans and our feasibility parameters included: bolus detection and consumption, and number of analyzable swallowing events. Unrestrained seals were imaged in a dry environment using a Siemens mobile c-arm fluoroscopy unit. Oral boluses were thawed herring injected with liquid barium suspension (105% w/v). Two independent raters described swallows using a standardized approach with results summarized descriptively. We successfully completed freely-behaving VFS with two infant seals (1 male: 8 wks, 3 d; 1 female: 5 wks, 3 d). Both consumed five boluses with six fully analyzable swallowing events. We describe four swallow phases: preparatory, prehension, oropharyngeal and esophageal. Airway protection likely occurs in two ways: (1) during the preparatory phase through modified corniculate cartilage contact with the glottis and (2) with soft palate contact to the base of tongue prior to swallow initiation. We have conducted a unique VFS approach on rehabilitated seals, prior to their release. We have described airway protection and suggest that swallowing is initiated earlier in the feeding process than described previously. This protocol success will afford: (1) collection of normative swallowing data, and (2) future knowledge translation from humans to seals.
全球范围内，数以千计获救的港海豹需要康复治疗。许多海豹由于出生后不久就被遗弃，需要资源密集型的管饲喂养。人们对海豹吞咽知之甚少，因此，我们的主要目标是确定在海豹幼崽放归前进行视频荧光吞咽研究（VFS）的可行性。其次，我们提出吞咽阶段的描述。我们采用了一种用于人类的VFS方法，我们的可行性参数包括：食团检测与消耗，以及可分析的吞咽事件数量。在干燥环境中，使用西门子移动C型臂荧光透视仪对未受约束的海豹进行成像。口服食团是注入液体硫酸钡混悬液（105% w/v）的解冻鲱鱼。两名独立评估者采用标准化方法描述吞咽情况，结果进行描述性总结。我们成功地对两只幼年海豹（1只雄性：8周3天；1只雌性：5周3天）完成了自由行为的VFS。两只海豹都消耗了5个食团，有6次完全可分析的吞咽事件。我们描述了四个吞咽阶段：准备阶段、抓取阶段、口咽阶段和食管阶段。气道保护可能通过两种方式发生：（1）在准备阶段，通过改良的小角软骨与声门接触；（2）在吞咽开始前，软腭与舌根接触。我们在康复后的海豹放归前，采用了一种独特的VFS方法。我们描述了气道保护，并表明吞咽在进食过程中开始的时间比之前描述的更早。该方案的成功将带来：（1）收集正常吞咽数据，以及（2）未来从人类到海豹的知识转化。
