Suitability of food in a rehabilitation hospital for patients with neurologic dysphagia

Instrumental and sensory techniques to characterize the texture of foods suitable for dysphagic people: A systematic review

The interest to characterize texture-modified foods (TMFs) intended for people with oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) has grown significantly since 2011. Several instrumental and sensory techniques have been applied in the analysis of these foods. The objective of the present systematic review was to identify the most appropriate techniques, especially for the food industry and clinical setting. The search was carried out in three online databases according to the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses" (PRISMA). Across the multiple trials reviewed, Texture Profile Analysis and the Uniaxial Compression Test were most used as the instrumental technique for solid foods, and the Back Extrusion Test for fluid and semisolid foods. All trials used descriptive analysis as the sensory technique. However, the experimental conditions of the trials lacked standardization. Consequently, the results of the trials were not comparable. To properly characterize the texture of TMFs intended for OD by each technique, an international consensus is needed to establish standardized experimental conditions. Methods based on these techniques should also be validated by collaborative studies to verify repeatability, replicability, and reproducibility.

Comparison of straw and cup for liquid swallowing in poststroke patients

The purposes of this study were to compare poststroke liquid swallowing methods by including a cup and a straw in videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) and to test the hypothesis that increased aspiration would be observed with the cup compared to the straw. Eighty-five poststroke patients who had undergone VFSS using a spoon, cup, and straw were included. Penetration-aspiration scale and functional dysphagia scale (FDS) were used for assessment. These scores did not differ significantly between the cup and the straw. Higher FDS scores were found with the cup than with the straw in patients who had penetration/aspiration with both the cup and the straw and with the cup only. However, FDS scores did not differ significantly between the cup and the straw in patients who had penetration/aspiration with the straw only. Although advantages of the straw over the cup were clear, some patients showed penetration/aspiration only with the straw.