title: Non-invasive technique for assessment and management planning of oral-pharyngeal dysphagia in children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: The non-invasive Exeter Dysphagia Assessment Technique (EDAT) was evaluated as a method of assessing the aetiology of dysphagia in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Data were collected from a group of 20 typically developing children (nine girls, 11 boys; age range 7 to 14 years) for comparison with 125 dysphagic children with CP (81 boys, 44 girls; age range 1 to 18 years). The swallowing mechanism has been separated into physiological phases: anticipatory, delivery, oral transit, and oral-pharyngeal. Normal or abnormal function in each phase was recorded and the common causes of any impaired phase were considered, starting with generalized possibilities before focusing on specific parts of swallowing physiology. Data from 125 dysphagic children with CP show marked differences from the data for the typically developing children. Interpreting individual results was valuable in assisting the assessment team to formulate management strategies; two examples are presented. The technique appears to provide a cost-effective, non-invasive, and valuable clinical tool.
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Group, School of Physics, University of Exeter, UK. R.E.Ellis@exeter.ac.uk
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Selley
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Parrot
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Lethbridge
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Flack
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tripp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012119:Respiration; D012720:Severity of Illness Index