A Therapeutic Maneuver for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

• Published in: Clinics (São Paulo, Brazil) Brazil), 2008-10, Vol.63 (5), p.661-666
• Main Authors: Felix, Valter Nilton, Corrêa, Sabrina Mello Alves, Soares, Renato José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Biofeedback; Biofeedback, Psychology - methods; Deglutition - physiology; Deglutition Disorders - etiology; Deglutition Disorders - rehabilitation; Effortful swallow; Female; Humans; Male; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Oropharyngeal dysphagia; Parkinson Disease - complications; Parkinson Disease - rehabilitation; Parkinson's disease; Quality of Life; Rehabilitation; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322; 1980-5322
• DOI: 10.1590/S1807-59322008000500015

This study investigates resources to provide better conditions for oropharyngeal swallowing for improvement in the quality of life of Parkinson’s disease patients. Three men and one woman with an average age of 70.25 years had been afflicted with Parkinson’s disease for an average of 9.25 years. The patients were submitted to a rehabilitation program for oropharyngeal dysphagia after a clinical evaluation of swallowing. The rehabilitation program consisted of daily sessions for two consecutive weeks during which a biofeedback resource adapted especially for this study was used. The patients were then reevaluated for swallowing ability at follow-up. The patients presenting difficulties with swallowing water displayed no such problems after rehabilitation. Only one patient exhibited slow oral transit of food and other discrete oropharyngeal food remnants when swallowing a biscuit. The sample variance was used to analyze the pressure measurements, demonstrating a numerical similarity of the results obtained with the swallowing of saliva or of biscuits (VAR = 4.41). A statistical difference was observed between the swallowing of saliva and biscuits, showing a significant pressure increase at the end of the rehabilitation program (p < 0.001). The effortful swallow maneuver reinforced by using biofeedback appears to be a therapeutic resource in the rehabilitation of oropharyngeal dysphagia in Parkinson’s disease patients.