TY - JOUR T1 - A timed test of swallowing capacity for neurological patients. JF - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry JO - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry SP - 822 LP - 825 DO - 10.1136/jnnp.55.9.822 VL - 55 IS - 9 AU - K M Nathadwarawala AU - J Nicklin AU - C M Wiles Y1 - 1992/09/01 UR - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/55/9/822.abstract N2 - A timed test of swallowing capacity has been designed for use in patients with neurogenic dysphagia. Swallowing speed (ml/s) has been demonstrated to have high intra- and inter- rater and test- retest reliability, and to be essentially independent of flavour or temperature. "Guideline" normal values were established in individuals without a swallowing disorder: swallowing speed was less in females than males and declined in both groups with age. The validity of a swallowing speed less than 10 ml/s as an index of abnormal swallowing was tested by comparison with the complaint of abnormal swallowing in a group of 81 neurological patients. Swallowing speed had a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 69%: some apparent false positive responses were found in patients with disordered swallowing, mainly due to multiple sclerosis. Using a standard questionnaire and examination a similar pattern of symptoms and signs were statistically associated with both the clinical complaint of abnormal swallowing and swallowing speed. It is concluded that swallowing speed is a reliable and valid index for assessing disordered swallowing in neurological patients and may be of value in monitoring response to therapy. ER -