Dysphagia handicap index and fibre-optic endoscopic examination of swallowing in assessment of dysphagia

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a swallowing disorder characterized by difficulty in transferring foods and/or liquids from the oral cavity to the stomach, affecting safe oral feeding. The main complications caused by dysphagia are tracheobronchial aspiration, pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration. Fibre-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is the first choice for studying swallowing disorders, it is easy to use, very well tolerated, allows bedside examination, and is economic. The dysphagia handicap index (DHI) is a 25-item self-administered questionnaire. It is a noninvasive tool measuring the handicapping effect of dysphagia in three aspects: the physical, functional, and emotional aspects of life, so a patient can rate the impact of his swallowing problem. The aim of this study is to test the correlation between DHI scores and fibre-optic endoscopic examination of swallowing and the ability of DHI to predict penetration and aspiration. For all patients, FEES examination was done as an assessment tool for dysphagia and DHI. Testing the correlation between DHI scores and penetration and aspiration on FEES results in a positive significant correlation, so we can apply DHI as a predictor of aspiration and penetration at medical centres where FEES examination is not accessible.