Ultrasonographic analysis of the hyoid bone distance in individuals with neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia.
Simone Galli Rocha Bragato, Roberta Gonçalves da Silva, Larissa Cristina Berti
PMID 38836820WHAT IT FOUND
Ultrasound showed the hyoid bone moved less upward during swallowing in adults with neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia than in healthy adults.
Food consistency did not change the measurement.
Key findings
01Dysphagic adults had greater hyoid bone approximation distance at peak swallowing than healthy adults, and this group difference was statistically significant.
02Food consistency did not significantly affect the hyoid bone approximation distance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 20 adults, and the dysphagia group was convenience sampled, so the finding is limited by small sample size and selection. The dysphagia group had varied neurological causes, ages, dysphagia severity, and anthropometric variables, so the result cannot be applied to one disease or one patient profile. The study did not test diagnostic accuracy, aspiration risk, or a cutoff point for ultrasound screening. The paper states that using this ultrasonographic finding as a risk marker for aspiration requires further studies on accuracy.
Declared interests
The funding and conflicts section states nothing to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that ultrasound hyoid distance is a validated diagnostic or screening test for dysphagia or aspiration. The study compared dysphagic and healthy adults only and did not test accuracy against aspiration or a reference standard.