- Jacqueline A. Hind 1,2
- Gary Gensler 3
- Diane K. Brandt 3
- Patricia J. Miller Gardner 4
- Loreen Blumenthal 5
- Gary D. Gramigna 6
- Steven Kosek 7
- Donna Lundy 8
- Susan McGarvey-Toler 9
- Susan Rockafellow 10
- Paula A. Sullivan 1,2
- Marybell Villa 11
- Gary D. Gill 1,2
- Anne S. Lindblad 3
- Jeri A. Logemann 12
- JoAnne Robbins 1,2
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, 53705, Madison, WI, USA
- William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, 2500 Overlook Terrace GRECC (11G), Madison, WI, USA
- The EMMES Corporation, 401 North Washington St., Ste 700, 20850, Rockville, MD, USA
- American Speech- Language-Hearing Association, 5410 Edson Lane, Ste 350, 20852, Rockville, MD, USA
- West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, 7305 North Military Trail (160A), 33410, West Palm Beach, FL, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, 1400 VFW Parkway (126), 02132, West Roxbury, MA, USA
- Minneapolis VA Medical Center, One Veterans Drive (127A), 55417, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 33136, Miami, FL, USA
- Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, 1481 West 10th St., 46202, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Westview Hospital, 3630 Guion Rd., 46222, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Speech Pathology, New York Hospital Queens, 139-26 Booth Memorial Ave., 11355, Flushing, NY, USA
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2299 North Sheridan Rd 3-44, 60208, Evanston, IL, USA
Accurate detection and classification of aspiration is a critical component of videofluoroscopic swallowing evaluation, the most commonly utilized instrumental method for dysphagia diagnosis and treatment. Currently published literature indicates that interjudge reliability for the identification of aspiration ranges from poor to fairly good depending on the amount of training provided to clinicians. The majority of extant studies compared judgments among clinicians. No studies included judgments made during the use of a postural compensatory strategy. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of judgments made by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) practicing in hospitals compared with unblinded expert judges when identifying aspiration and using the 8-point Penetration/Aspiration Scale. Clinicians received extensive training for the detection of aspiration and minimal training on use of the Penetration/Aspiration Scale. Videofluoroscopic data were collected from 669 patients as part of a large, randomized clinical trial and include judgments of 10,200 swallows made by 76 clinicians from 44 hospitals in 11 states. Judgments were made on swallows during use of dysphagia compensatory strategies: chin-down posture with thin liquids and head-neutral posture with thickened liquids (nectar-thick and honey-thick consistencies). The subject population included patients with Parkinson’s disease and/or dementia. Kappa statistics indicate high accuracy for all interventions by SLPs for identification of aspiration (all κ > 0.86) and variable accuracy (range = 69–76%) using the Penetration/Aspiration Scale when compared to expert judges. It is concluded that while the accuracy of identifying the presence of aspiration by SLPs is excellent, more extensive training and/or image enhancement is recommended for precise use of the Penetration/Aspiration Scale.
- Deglutition
- Aspiration
- Accuracy
- Clinical trial
- Penetration/Aspiration Scale
- Deglutition disorders