OBJECTIVE: To assess the routine use of barium swallow study in patients with chronic
cough. METHODS: Between October of 2011 and March of 2012, 95 consecutive patients submitted
to chest X-ray due to chronic cough (duration > 8 weeks) were included
in the study. For study purposes, additional images were obtained
immediately after the oral administration of 5 mL of a 5% barium sulfate
suspension. Two radiologists systematically evaluated all of the images in
order to identify any pathological changes. Fisher's exact test and the
chi-square test for categorical data were used in the comparisons. RESULTS: The images taken immediately after barium swallow revealed significant
pathological conditions that were potentially related to chronic cough in 12
(12.6%) of the 95 patients. These conditions, which included diaphragmatic
hiatal hernia, esophageal neoplasm, achalasia, esophageal diverticulum, and
abnormal esophageal dilatation, were not detected on the images taken
without contrast. After appropriate treatment, the symptoms disappeared in
11 (91.6%) of the patients, whereas the treatment was ineffective in 1
(8.4%). We observed no complications related to barium swallow, such as
contrast aspiration. CONCLUSIONS: Barium swallow improved the detection of significant radiographic findings
related to chronic cough in 11.5% of patients. These initial findings
suggest that the routine use of barium swallow can significantly increase
the sensitivity of chest X-rays in the detection of chronic cough-related
etiologies.
Reanalysis and results after 12 years of follow-up in a randomized clinical trial comparing total mastectomy with lumpectomy with or without irradiation in the treatment of breast cancer.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.