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Volumetric Changes to the Pharynx in Healthy Aging: Consequence for Pharyngeal Swallow Mechanics and Function

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A Correction to this article was published on 16 September 2020

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Abstract

Pharyngeal lumen volume is prone to increase as a consequence of pharyngeal muscle atrophy in aging. Yet, the impact of this on swallowing mechanics and function is poorly understood. We examined the relationship between pharyngeal volume and pharyngeal swallowing mechanics and function in a sample of healthy community-dwelling seniors. Data were collected from 44 healthy seniors (21 male, mean age = 76.9, SD = 7.1). Each participant swallowed 9 boluses of barium (3 × 5 ml thin, 3 × 20 ml thin, 3 × 5 ml nectar). Pharyngeal shortening, pharyngeal constriction, pyriform sinus and vallecular residue were quantified from lateral view videofluorosopic swallowing studies. Pharyngeal lumen volume was captured during an oral breathing task with acoustic pharyngometry. In addition, within-participant measures of strength and anthropometrics were collected. Four linear mixed effects regression models were run to study the relationship between pharyngeal volume and pharyngeal constriction, pharyngeal shortening, pyriform sinus residue, and vallecular residue while controlling for bolus condition, age, sex, and posterior tongue strength. Increasing pharyngeal lumen volume was significantly related to worse constriction and vallecular residue. In general, larger and thicker boluses resulted in worse pharyngeal constriction and residue. Pharyngeal shortening was only significantly related to posterior tongue strength. Our work establishes the utility of acoustic pharyngometry to monitor pharyngeal lumen volume. Increasing pharyngeal lumen volume appears to impact both pharyngeal swallowing mechanics and function in a sample of healthy, functional seniors.

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Change history

  • 16 September 2020

    This erratum notifies the readers of the Dysphagia journal of an error in the original published version of this manuscript. In that manuscript, a previously available open source spreadsheet tool was used to calculate the position of the posterior laryngeal air column on lateral view videofluoroscopic images as a proxy for the bottom of the pharynx. We have subsequently been made aware of an error in the mathematical formula built into the spreadsheet, which resulted in a reversal of the results for the X and Y planes of measurement. This erratum provides corrections to the results and interpretations of the original manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Erica Herzberg, Danielle Brates, Mehak Noorani, Emily Ottinger, Shelby Norman, Il Young Jung, Julie Bancroft, Wendy Liang, Chelsea Sandler, Marina Casale, and Katrin Gabriel for their assistance during data collection and data analysis and Chuan-Ya Hsu and Ying Lu for statistical consultation.

Funding

This study was funded by NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 1R21DC015067.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communicative Sciences & Disorders, NYU Steinhardt, New York, NY, USA

    Sonja M. Molfenter & Charles Lenell

  2. Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, THANC Foundation, New York, NY, USA

    Cathy L. Lazarus

  3. Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Cathy L. Lazarus

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  1. Sonja M. Molfenter
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Correspondence to Sonja M. Molfenter.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Molfenter, S.M., Lenell, C. & Lazarus, C.L. Volumetric Changes to the Pharynx in Healthy Aging: Consequence for Pharyngeal Swallow Mechanics and Function. Dysphagia 34, 129–137 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-018-9924-5

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