• T R Han, N J Paik, and J W Park.
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001 May 1; 82 (5): 677-82.

ObjectiveTo develop a sensitive, specific scale for quantifying functional dysphagia in stroke patients, using results obtained from videofluoroscopic swallowing studies.DesignData collected from a serial oral and pharyngeal videofluoroscopic swallowing study.SettingA dysphagia clinic in a department of rehabilitation medicine at a tertiary care university hospital.ParticipantsOne hundred three consecutively admitted stroke patients.InterventionsVideoflurorscopy to measure a scale of 11 variables: lip closure score, bolus formation, residue in oral cavity, oral transit time, triggering of pharyngeal swallow, laryngeal elevation and epiglottic closure, nasal penetration, residue in valleculae, coating of pharyngeal wall after swallow, and pharyngeal transit time.Main Outcome MeasuresPolychotomous linear logistic regression analysis of videofluoroscopic and aspiration results. Scale sensitivity and specificity, and the correlation between the total score of the scale and aspiration grade were analyzed.ResultsThe scale's sensitivity and specificity for detecting supraglottic penetration and subglottic aspiration were 81%, 70.7%, and 78.1%, 77.9%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between the scale's total score and the severity of aspiration (Spearman's r =.58943, p =.00001).ConclusionThis functional dysphagia scale, which was based on a videofluoroscopic swallowing study in stroke patients, is a sensitive and specific method for quantifying the severity of dysphagia.

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