CLINICAL AND VIDEOFLUOROSCOPIC EVALUATION OF SWALLOWING DISORDERS

Swallowing and feeding problems are common, particularly in elderly pe rsons, and will be an increasing cause of disability as the geriatric population expands. Consequently, the need for clinical and radiologic examinations of patients who have swallowing problems will likely bec ome commonplace. In this review, we define the problem confronting the se patients, discuss the clinical and videofluoroscopic procedures use d to examine patients with swallowing difficulty, and integrate the re sults of these examinations and their impact on feeding recommendation s.