Acoustic and Temporal Analysis of swallowing sounds: use of electronic stethoscope on cervical auscultation

Swallowing is a physiologic function consisting in the propulsion of the bolus into the stomach, with effective respiratory protection. Clinical intervention of Speech and Language Therapists requires improved and reliable methods of swallowing evaluation. Cervical Auscultation (CA) is especially appreciated as a noninvasive method. However, conventional stethoscopes do not provide quantitative measures to complement the perceptive auditory analysis of the swallowing sounds