Ultrasound imaging of infant swallowing during breast-feeding.
Coordination of infants' suck-swallow-breathing patterns is integral to safe and efficient feeding. However, assessment of these patterns is difficult and often invasive, particularly in breast-fed infants less than 4 months of age. The aims of this study were to develop an ultrasound approach to visualize swallowing in term breast-feeding infants and to determine the accuracy of ultrasound imaging of swallowing compared to respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP). On ultrasound, the breast milk bolus was observed as a predominantly echogenic area moving inferiorly. Of the 388 swallows detected with ultrasound, 379 correlated with the swallow apneas detected by RIP (R(2) = 0.98). The mean duration of the swallow was 0.63 +/- 0.06 s. Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive accurate method for detection of swallowing by visualization of movement of the milk bolus through the pharyngeal area of a breast-feeding infant. These techniques may potentially provide useful information for infants experiencing breast-feeding difficulties.
Geddes
Donna T
DT
Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, School of Biomedical and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. donna.geddes@uwa.edu.au
Chadwick
Lynda M
LM
Kent
Jacqueline C
JC
Garbin
Catherine P
CP
Hartmann
Peter E
PE
D000367:Age Factors; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D004326:Drinking / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human; D010991:Plethysmography / Q000295:instrumentation; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation*