Oral Presentation - 5
The effects of swallowing rehabilitation program in patients with esophageal atresia and tracheaesophageal fistula
Selen Serel 1, Tutku Soyer 2, Numan Demir 1, Şule Yalçın 2, Ayşe Karaduman 1, İbrahim Karnak 2, Feridun Cahit Tanyel 2
1 Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
2 Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatric Surgery
Aim: To propose a Swallowing Rehabilitation Protocol (SRP) for EA-TEF patients with pharyngeal swallowing disorder (SD) and to evaluate the results of SRP on swallowing functions (SF).Methods: Patients were evaluated for age, sex, type of atresia, repair time and time of oral intake. Patients with SD and airway aspiration during deglutition in videofluroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) were included. SRP including thermal tactile stimulation, laryngeal mobilization and neuromuscular electrical stimulation was performed. SF was evaluated with 3 ml liquid and pudding barium by VFSS before and after 20 sessions of SRP. Parameters of oral phase dysfunction, delay in swallowing reflex, nasal regurgitation, laryngeal penetration, aspiration, abnormal esophageal body function, reflux, residue were coded as either ‘absent’ or ‘present’. The penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) was also used to quantify a patient’s ability to protect the airway during VFSS. Conclusions: Nine children were included. The median age was 10 months (4-31 months) and male-female ratio was 5:4. Six (66.7%) of the patients had isolated-EA and three (33.3%) of them had EA+TEF. The median repair time was 12 weeks (1-20 weeks) and oral feeding started with a median of 5 months (1-8 months). The VFSS results before SRP were indicated that non-oral feeding was essential in 44.4% (n=4) of the patients and liquid restricted diet was essential in 55.6% (n=5). A significant improvement in terms of oral phase dysfunction, delay in swallowing reflex, PAS, residue in valleculae, pharyngeal wall and pyriform sinuses was found after SRP (p<0.05). After 20 sessions, full oral feeding was recommended in 55.6% (n=5) of the patients and liquid restricted diet was continued in 44.4% (n=4) patients. SRP improves swallowing function in children with SD. Liquid restricted cases should require longer swallowing rehabilitation sessions.