Biomechanical Quantification of Mendelsohn Maneuver and Effortful Swallowing on Pharyngoesophageal Function

ObjectiveTo quantify the effects of 2 swallowing maneuvers used in dysphagia rehabilitation—the Mendelsohn maneuver and effortful swallowing—on pharyngoesophageal function with novel, objective pressure-flow analysis.Study DesignEvaluation of intervention effects in a healthy control cohort.SettingA pharyngoesophageal motility research laboratory in a tertiary education facility.SubjectsTwelve young healthy subjects (9 women, 28.6 ± 7.9 years) from the general public, without swallowing impairment, volunteered to participate in this study.MethodsSurface electromyography from the floor-of-mouth musculature and high-resolution impedance manometry–based pressure flow analysis were used to assess floor-of-mouth activation and pharyngoesophageal motility, respectively. Subjects each performed 10 noneffortful control swallows, Mendelsohn maneuver swallows, and effortful swallows, with a 5-mL viscous bolus. Repeated measures analyses of variance was used to compare outcome measures across conditions.ResultsEffor...