Cineradiography of Swallowing: Obseruation in Patients With Lesions of Brain Stem, Lower Cranial Nerves, or Bulbar Musculature

The act of swallowing is a complex sequence of anatomical and physiological phenomena, which, although often influenced by neurologic disease, has rarely been studied by neurologists. Detailed manometric studies of esophageal motility have previously been reported in neurologic patients, 1-3 and a variety of abnormalities have been described. The purposes of this communication are to introduce another technique, cinefluorography, for the study of swallowing in neurologic illness and to report and discuss the findings observed in 35 patients. Materials and Methods All observations were performed with the cinefluoroscopic equipment of the Radiology Department. Almost all patients were studied while they stood erect, although a few were investigated while supine or in either lateral decubitus position. Barium paste was utilized as contrast medium, except for patients who were known to aspirate liquids. Thin barium suspensions or meglumine diatrizoate (Gastrografin) were used in these patients. Fluoroscopic observations of swallowing were made of