Vol 3, No 10 (2014)

TOPIC HIGHLIGHT: "Oropharyngeal dysphagia" Part Ⅱ

Renée Speyer

Renée Speyer, PhD, Associate Professor, Head, Discipline of Speech Pathology, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.

E-mail: renee.speyer@jcu.edu.au

 

I am pleased to briefly introduce this special issue on swallowing disorders. Many well-known experts have contributed by summarizing the latest developments in their research on oropharyngeal dysphagia. This underdiagnosed condition is associated with increased risk of dehydration, malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, a high mortality rate and major impacts on patients' health-related quality of life. The contributions cover the full range of current topics in oropharyngeal dysphagia.

This special issue provides a concise update on developments in the aetiology, assessment and treatment of oropharyngeal dysphagia. It meets a need, since raising awareness of the condition is the key to better health care for the patients. Indeed, to avoid complications, early screening is essential. And as the number of treatment options for dysphagia is growing, all with the aim of optimising the physiological process of swallowing and improving a patient’s quality of life. In that effort, valid and reliable tools for screening and assessment are crucial in order to quantify the treatment outcomes.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia should be fully assessed and managed according to the existing evidence and current standards as reported in the literature. Whilst it may not always be possible to cure the patients' swallowing problems, treatment may reduce the complications and thereby improve their health-related quality of life.


Table of Contents

Topic Highlight

The Aetiology of Oro-Pharyngeal Dysphagia and its Effects in Stroke PDF HTML
David G Smithard 1252-1264
Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Neurodegenerative Disease PDF HTML
Margaret Walshe 1265-1271
Head and Neck Diseases and Disorders Causing Oropharyngeal Dysphagia PDF HTML
Nicole Pizzorni, Daniela Ginocchio, Francesco Mozzanica, Luca Roncoroni, Letizia Scarponi, Antonio Schindler 1272-1280
The Instrumental Gold Standard: Fees PDF HTML
Daniele Farneti 1281-1291
Health Related Quality of Life and Oropharyngeal Dysphagia PDF HTML
Virginie Woisard, Florence Sordes 1292-1300
Behavioural Intervention PDF HTML
Margareta Bülow 1301-1306
Respiratory and Nutritional Complications in Oropharyngeal Dysphagia PDF HTML
Franziska Ende, Guntram W Ickenstein 1307-1312


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

ISSN: 2224-6509