Gandhi Pooja, Mancopes Renata, Steele Catriona M
KITE Research Institute - Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Ontario, Canada.
Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2024 Sep 18;33(5):2157-2166. doi: 10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00167. Epub 2024 Aug 16.
The videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) is used widely in dysphagia research. However, variations exist in the conduct and interpretation of VFSS, including differences in contrast agents, food and fluid consistencies tested, patient positioning, intervention strategies trialed, fluoroscopy settings, resolution, and image storage solutions. It cannot be assumed that VFSS exams yield directly comparable results across different studies. It is essential that relevant elements of VFSS be clearly reported in research. The goal of this article is to outline optimal VFSS reporting as part of the Framework for RigOr aNd Transparency In REseaRch on Swallowing (FRONTIERS), a critical appraisal tool intended to promote rigor and transparency in dysphagia research.
We developed a set of 27 questions regarding the rigor and transparency of VFSS reporting, based on review of previous research articles. These were reviewed by all members of the FRONTIERS Framework collaborative, to determine which questions were mandatory, unnecessary, or needed revision, prior to inclusion in the final critical appraisal tool.
The final FRONTIERS Framework tool contains 20 questions and seven subquestions regarding VFSS. These are grouped into four themes: patient/participant positioning, equipment and recording settings, contrast agents, and rating methods, including operational definitions and reliability.
The VFSS section of the FRONTIERS Framework tool is intended to facilitate and promote rigorous and transparent reporting of all elements that may influence the interpretation of VFSS in research. This critical appraisal tool can also be used to guide research design and the evaluation of study outcomes contributing to best practices in the field of dysphagia research.
视频荧光吞咽造影检查（VFSS）在吞咽困难研究中被广泛应用。然而，VFSS的实施和解读存在差异，包括造影剂、所测试食物和液体的黏稠度、患者体位、试验的干预策略、荧光透视设置、分辨率以及图像存储解决方案等方面的不同。不能假定VFSS检查在不同研究中能产生直接可比的结果。在研究中清晰报告VFSS的相关要素至关重要。本文的目的是概述最佳的VFSS报告，作为吞咽研究严格性和透明度框架（FRONTIERS）的一部分，这是一种旨在促进吞咽困难研究的严谨性和透明度的批判性评估工具。
基于对以往研究文章的回顾，我们制定了一组关于VFSS报告严谨性和透明度的27个问题。这些问题由FRONTIERS框架协作组的所有成员进行审查，以确定哪些问题是必需的、不必要的或需要修订的，然后再纳入最终的批判性评估工具。
最终的FRONTIERS框架工具包含20个关于VFSS的问题和7个子问题。这些问题分为四个主题：患者/参与者体位、设备和记录设置、造影剂以及评级方法，包括操作定义和可靠性。
FRONTIERS框架工具中的VFSS部分旨在促进和推动对所有可能影响研究中VFSS解读的要素进行严谨且透明的报告。这种批判性评估工具还可用于指导研究设计和研究结果评估，为吞咽困难研究领域的最佳实践做出贡献。
