Background: At present, the flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is one of the most commonly used methods for the objective assessment of swallowing. This multicenter trial prospectively collected data on the safety of FEES and also assessed the impact of this procedure on clinical dysphagia management. Methods: Patients were recruited in 23 hospitals in Germany and Switzerland from September 2014 to May 2017. Patient characteristics, professional affiliation of the FEES examiners (physicians or speech and language therapists), side-effects and cardiorespiratory parameters, severity of dysphagia and clinical consequences of FEES were documented. Results: 2401 patients, mean age 69.8 (14.6) years, 42.3% women, were included in the FEES-registry. The most common main diagnosis was stroke (61%), followed by Parkinson's disease (6.5%). FEES was well tolerated by patients. Complications were reported in 2% of examinations, were all self-limited and resolved without sequelae and showed no correlation to the endoscopist's previous experience. In more than 50% of investigations FEES led to changes of feeding strategies, in the majority of cases an upgrade of oral diet was possible. Discussion: This study confirmed that FEES, even when performed by less experienced clinicians is a safe and well tolerated procedure and significantly impacts on the patients' clinical course. Implementation of a FEES-service in different clinical settings may improve dysphagia care. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03037762, registered January 31st 2017.

Objective:Introduction and validation of a phenotypic classification of neurogenic dysphagia based on flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).Methods:A systematic literature review was conducted, searching MEDLINE from inception to 05/2020 for FEES findings in neurological diseases of interest. Based on a retrospective analysis of FEES-videos in neurological diseases and considering the results from the review, a classification of neurogenic dysphagia was developed distinguishing different phenotypes. The classification was validated using 1012 randomly selected FEES-videos of patients with various neurological disorders. Chi-square-tests were used to compare the distribution of dysphagia phenotypes between the underlying neurological disorders.Results:159 articles were identified of which 59 were included in the qualitative synthesis. Seven dysphagia phenotypes were identified: (1) “Premature bolus spillage” and (2) “delayed swallowing reflex” occurred mainly in stroke patients, (3) “predominance of residue in the valleculae” was most common in Parkinson's disease, (4) “predominance of residue in the piriform sinus” occurred only in myositis, motoneuron disease and brainstem stroke patients, (5) “pharyngolaryngeal movement disorder” was found in atypical Parkinsonian syndromes and stroke patients, (6) “fatigable swallowing weakness” was common in patients with myasthenia gravis, and (7) “complex disorder” with a heterogeneous dysphagia pattern was the leading mechanism in amyotrophic later sclerosis. The interrater reliability showed a strong agreement (kappa = 0.84).Conclusion:Neurogenic dysphagia is not a mere symptom, but a multi-etiological syndrome with different phenotypic patterns depending on the underlying disease. Dysphagia phenotypes can facilitate differential diagnosis in patients with dysphagia of unclear etiology.

Background: Dysphagia is a frequent symptom in patients with acute stroke. It is associated with malnutrition, aspiration and mortality. The identification of early screening parameters for dysphagia promptly leading to a professional swallowing examination is therefore of utmost importance. This study aimed to detect early and easily assessable predictors of dysphagia in a large cohort of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Our analysis was based on data from a prospective in-hospital registry. Patients with ischemic stroke were included over the course of 3 years. Patients were scheduled to undergo a clinical swallowing investigation within the first 24 h after hospital admission. Step-wise multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of dysphagia in general and of pneumonia in particular. Results: 1,646 patients with ischemic stroke were included. Stroke severity in terms of higher National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) values (p < 0.001), male gender (p = 0.006) and higher age (p < 0.001) independently predicted dysphagia. A receiver operating characteristics analysis revealed an NIHSS cut-off value of 4.5 for optimal differentiation between patients with and without dysphagia (sensitivity 0.77; specificity 0.77). Dysphagia (p < 0.001), male gender (p = 0.002), higher NIHSS scores (p < 0.001) and higher age (p = 0.002) were factors that were independently associated with pneumonia. The NIHSS cut-off value for differentiating between patients with and without pneumonia was 5.5 (sensitivity 0.91; specificity 0.67). Conclusions: Stroke severity in terms of NIHSS is a simple and reliable predictor of dysphagia. Patients with NIHSS values ≥5 should be quickly directed towards a professional swallowing examination. Dysphagia was confirmed to be a strong predictor of pneumonia.

BackgroundNeurogenic dysphagia is one of the most frequent and prognostically relevant neurological deficits in a variety of disorders, such as stroke, parkinsonism and advanced neuromuscular diseases. Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is now probably the most frequently used tool for objective dysphagia assessment in Germany. It allows evaluation of the efficacy and safety of swallowing, determination of appropriate feeding strategies and assessment of the efficacy of different swallowing manoeuvres. The literature furthermore indicates that FEES is a safe and well-tolerated procedure. In spite of the huge demand for qualified dysphagia diagnostics in neurology, a systematic FEES education has not yet been established.ResultsThe structured training curriculum presented in this article aims to close this gap and intends to enforce a robust and qualified FEES service. As management of neurogenic dysphagia is not confined to neurologists, this educational programme is applicable to other clinicians and speech–language therapists with expertise in dysphagia as well.ConclusionThe systematic education in carrying out FEES across a variety of different professions proposed by this curriculum will help to spread this instrumental approach and to improve dysphagia management.

Background and Purpose: Dysphagia is a common and severe symptom of acute stroke. Although intracerebral hemorrhages (ICHs) account for 10% to 15% of all strokes, the occurrence of dysphagia in this subtype of stroke has not been widely investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall frequency and associated lesion locations and clinical predictors of dysphagia in patients with acute ICH. Methods: Our analysis included 132 patients with acute ICH. Clinical swallowing assessment was performed within 48 hours after admission. All patients underwent computed tomography imaging. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping was performed to determine lesion sites associated with dysphagia. Results: Eighty-four patients (63.6%) were classified as dysphagic. Higher scores on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, larger ICH volumes, and higher degree of disability were associated with dysphagia. Voxels showing a statistically significant association with dysphagia were mainly located in the right insular cortex, the right central operculum, as well as the basal ganglia, corona radiata, and the left thalamus and left internal capsule. In contrast to lobar regions, in subcortical deep brain areas also small lesion volumes (<10 mL) were associated with a substantial risk of dysphagia. Intraventricular ICH extension and midline shift as imaging findings indicating a space-occupying effect were not associated with dysphagia in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Dysphagia is a frequent symptom in acute ICH. Distinct cortical and subcortical lesion sites are related to swallowing dysfunction and predictive for the development of dysphagia. Therefore, patients with ICH should be carefully evaluated for dysphagia independently from lesion size, in particular if deep brain regions are affected.