title: Application of B+M-Mode Ultrasonography in Assessing Deglutitive Tongue Movements in Healthy Adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate tongue movements during swallowing in healthy adults using the B+M-mode ultrasonography, and to determine a common feature in the M-mode traces for quantitative measurement and individual comparison of tongue movements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety healthy subjects were divided into 3 groups according to age (20-39, 40-59, and 60-80 years). The tongue movements during 3 saliva swallows were examined using real-time B+M-mode ultrasonography. The M-mode traces of tongue movements were recorded and evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both intra-individual and inter-individual differences were detected in the M-mode traces during the 3 saliva swallows. Characteristic types were seen during the individual swallowing phases of M-mode traces: 2 activity types in phase I, 2 types in phase IIb, and 3 types in phase III. However, no variations were seen during phase IIa, in which all subjects displayed a continuous upsloping trace. The average range of swallow-related tongue radial displacement during phase IIa decreased gradually with age, while the average duration of tongue movement during phase IIa increased gradually with age. These 2 trends were not statistically significant across age groups. However, differences between sexes were found in both the range of tongue radial displacement and the duration of deglutitive lingual actions during phase IIa in all 3 age groups (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  B+M-mode ultrasonography may offer a quick and safe alternative for the preliminary evaluation of deglutitive tongue movements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Changtian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Junlai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Anesthesia and Operation Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Changsheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Danfei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Tengfei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014059:Tongue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*