NCT04114617

Physiological Flow of Liquids in Healthy Swallowing

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 80 (actual)
• Sponsor: University Health Network, Toronto · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Thickened liquids are commonly used as an intervention for people with dysphagia (swallowing impairment). However, the field currently lacks a proper understanding of how this intervention works. The overall goal of the project is to collect measurements of bolus flow through the oropharynx (i.e., mouth and throat) during swallowing. The factors that are expected to influence bolus flow include the liquid/food consistency (i.e., thin, slightly-thick, mildly-thick, moderately-thick, extremely thick, solid) and the forces applied during swallowing (i.e., tongue pressures and swallowing muscle contraction). The objective is to determine how these factors interact to influence the flow of a bolus through the oropharynx in healthy swallowing.

Detailed description

The aims of this study are as follows: Aim 1: To determine the relationship between bolus flow and healthy swallowing physiology. The investigators will collect concurrent videofluoroscopic and physiological measures of swallowing (tongue pressure, electromyography \[sEMG\]) in healthy adults using barium stimuli across the continuum of liquid consistency (thin, slightly thick, mildly thick, moderately thick and extremely thick liquids, as defined by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative, www.iddsi.org). Significance: This will show the impact of consistency on bolus flow through the oropharynx, controlling for the forces used to initiate flow and propel the bolus. Aim 2: To compare healthy swallowing physiology for barium versus non-barium stimuli. The investigators will collect physiological measures of swallowing using barium and non-barium stimuli matched for consistency. Significance: This will determine how swallowing behaviors (tongue pressures, sEMG) differ between barium and non-barium stimuli with matched consistency, enabling us to develop models of flow accounting for these differences. Aim 3: To compare healthy swallowing physiology across different commercial barium products. Significance: This will determine whether differences in barium concentration or brand influence swallowing behaviors, enabling us to make recommendations regarding ideal contrast agents for use in radiographic swallowing assessment.

Conditions

• Deglutition
• Healthy Swallowing
• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Starch-thickened liquids	Thickener added in amounts required to reach slightly thick, mildly thick, moderately thick and extremely thick consistencies, as defined by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative flow test.
OTHER	Xanthan-gum thickened liquids	Thickener added in amounts required to reach slightly thick, mildly thick, moderately thick and extremely thick consistencies, as defined by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative flow test.
COMBINATION_PRODUCT	Barium concentration	Commercially available barium products diluted to different concentrations (i.e., 20% w/v, 40% w/v) through the addition of water

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-01-01
• Primary completion: 2019-09-12
• Completion: 2020-12-31
• First posted: 2019-10-03
• Last updated: 2022-12-21
• Results posted: 2022-12-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada