Recovery from Postsurgical Swallowing Dysfunction in Patients With Oral Cancer

Tei, Kanchu; Maekawa, Kuniaki; Kitada, Hideaki; Ohiro, Yoichi; Yamazaki, Yutaka; Totsuka, Yasunori

doi:10.1016/j.joms.2005.12.082

« Previous Next »Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Volume 65, Issue 6 , Pages 1077-1083, June 2007

Recovery from Postsurgical Swallowing Dysfunction in Patients With Oral Cancer

Kanchu Tei, DDS, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Tei: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-13, Nishi-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan 060-8586
Kuniaki Maekawa, DDS
- Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Hideaki Kitada, DDS, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Yoichi Ohiro, DDS, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Yutaka Yamazaki, DDS, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Yasunori Totsuka, DDS, PhD
- Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.

Purpose

The present study was focused on a comparison of postsurgical oropharyngeal swallowing efficiency and medical status indicators.

Patients and Methods

The swallowing function was assessed in 25 patients (18 males and 7 females) with oral cancer. The swallowing function was assessed preoperatively and 1, 6, and 12 months and in some cases more than 24 months after surgery. Assessment of the swallowing function consisted of videofluoroscopic evaluation (oropharyngeal swallow efficiency; OPSE) and details of the method of nutrition, diet level, nutritional condition, and occurrence of pneumonia.

Results

Postsurgically, OPSE did not recover to the preoperative level more than 12 months after surgery. Twenty-one patients (84%) had full oral intake and only 3 patients (12%) showed poorer nutritional conditions compared with the presurgery state. Aspiration pneumonia did not occur more than 12 months after surgery.

Conclusions

The patients in the present study showed stable medical status and functional swallowing at the final evaluation despite insufficient recovery of OPSE revealed by videofluoroscopic evaluation.