ORIGINAL ARTICLE SWALLOWING DISORDERS IN THE FIRST YEAR AFTER RADIATION AND CHEMORADIATION

Abstract: Background. Radiation alone or concurrent che-moradiation can result in severe swallowing disorders. This manuscript defines the swallowing disorders occurring at pre-treatment and 3 and 12 months after completion of radiation or chemoradiation. Methods. Forty-eight patients (10 women and 38 men) par-ticipated in this study involving videofluorographic evaluation of oropharyngeal swallow at the 3 time points. Results. At baseline, patients had some swallow disorders, probably related to presence of their tumor. At 3 months post-treatment, frequency of reduced tongue base retraction, slow or delayed laryngeal vestibule closure, and reduced laryngeal ele-vation increased from baseline. Some disorders continued at 12 months posttreatment. Functional swallow decreased over time in patients treated with chemoradiation, but not those treate