Kinematic Analysis of Hyolaryngeal Complex Movement in Patients with Dysphagia Development after Pneumonectomy

Purpose: Aim of the study was to investigate the swallowing kinematics of patients with dysphagia which developed after pneumonectomy. Methods: We investigated the swallowing kinematics of patients with dysphagia development after pneumonectomy and compared them with age-and gender-matched normal controls. The following swallowing parameters were compared: (1) maximum anterior and superior displacement (mm) of the hyoid bone; (2) maximum anterior and superior displacement (mm) of the larynx; (3) maximum epiglottic rotation angle (); and (4) pharyngeal delay time (PDT) (sec) using videofluoroscopy. Results: Significant differences were found in the maximum superior displacement of the hyoid bone (p = 0.028) and larynx (p = 0.001). Pharyngeal delay time showed a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.001). When we dichotomized patients to vocal cord palsy and nonpalsy subgroups, no significant difference was found in all parameters. Conclusion: Our results indicate that dysphagia development after pneumonectomy is characterized by reduced hyolaryngeal elevation during swallowing and delay of the pharyngeal swallowing reflex. Further study must be done to reveal the exact mechanism of this phenomenon.