Volume viscosity swallow test8/26/2023 This test is a useful adjunct to a clinical examination, helping to highlight patients who require an instrumental assessment such as videofluoroscopy. The 100mL WST is a quick and simple assessment for identifying patients with aspiration, post (chemo)radiotherapy. Disease characteristics, patient demographics, radiotherapy dose, or treatment volume were not predictors of this improvement. There was marked deterioration from pre- to 3months post-treatment for the time taken to drink 100mL (p=0.005), but this improved over the first year (p=0.001). Sensitivity of the WST for predicting aspiration was >67%, specificity >46%. The WST was timed and the number of swallows required was recorded. A Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing was conducted at the same time points, to test for the presence of aspiration. Patients failed the test if they coughed or had a wet voice quality post swallow or were unable to finish the task. Patients referred for (chemo)radiotherapy were assessed on the WST (n=173) pre-treatment and 3, 6 and 12months post-treatment. This study examines the clinical utility of the 100mL water swallow test (WST) in head and neck cancer, by measuring its sensitivity and specificity for identifying aspiration and for monitoring swallow performance up to one year following (chemo)radiotherapy. Water swallow tests have been used as to screen patients with neurological dysphagia who are at risk of aspiration.
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