Author(s)
Maya Elena Stevens, MS
Christopher Mayerl, PhD
Laura Bond, BS
Rebecca German, PhD
Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, PhD
Affiliation(s)
University of Utah, UT;
Abstract:
Objective: Increased incidence of aspiration was previously reported in piglets post-unilateral superior laryngeal nerve (uSLN) lesion. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the pathophysiology of aspiration in these previously studied piglets via videofluoroscopy quantitative measures used to assess swallow physiology in humans.
Method: Temporal measures were conducted on videofluoroscopy studies acquired from 13 female piglets ages 2-3 weeks (7 with uSLN lesion and 6 control). All videofluoroscopic studies were analyzed at 30 frames per second. Quantitative and temporal measures were conducted using published methodology for clinical assessment of adult and infant human videofluoroscopic studies. These measures included: 1. The number of linguapalatal contacts (i.e. pre-swallow), 2. total duration of swallow, as well as onset of: 3. upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening, 4. maximum UES opening, 5. airway closure, and 6. maximum airway closure. Measures 3-6 were determined relative to onset of swallowing. Multi-level gamma regression analysis was used to compare continuous measures between lesioned and control groups. Ratings of bolus clearance were also recorded and analyzed using a multi-level multinomial distribution.
Results: The number of linguapalatal contacts (p=.006), pharyngeal swallow duration(p=.023) and timing of maximum airway closure (p=.041) were significantly greater or longer in the uSLN lesion than the control group.
Conclusion: Outcomes of this study replicated prior published findings and also newly identified pathophysiology placing uSLN lesioned piglets at greater risk for aspiration than control animals. Noteworthy was the use of clinically relevant quantitative videofluoroscopic measures in piglets that enable comparison to future studies in humans.