Janis Deane performs a modified barium swallow study.

The specialists at UT Southwestern’s Clinical Center for Voice Care provide comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services for a variety of swallowing problems (dysphagia), including those related to head and neck cancer (following radiation/chemotherapy and/or surgery) and neurological problems (stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis).

To diagnose the problem and prescribe the best treatment options, a Voice Care specialist will perform one or more diagnostic tests, including:

• Clinical Swallow Evaluation
• Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Evaluations (Modified Barium Swallow Studies or MBS) -
  The patient is given various textures and consistencies of food to swallow while each swallow is analyzed
• Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) – The movement of food from
  the mouth to the esophagus is evaluated with a flexible endoscope

If the specialist finds problems during the MBS or FEES evaluations, therapeutic maneuvers can be implemented and the effects evaluated in real time.

Once the evaluation is complete, the specialist will present the patient with an individualized treatment plan, which may include:

• Therapeutic exercises
• Modifications to eating or swallowing behaviors
• VitalStim therapy – a non-invasive, painless treatment using electrical stimulation to strengthen the muscles used in swallowing
• Changes in diet to decrease the risk of aspiration pneumonia

We may refer patients whose swallowing problems stem from diseases of the stomach and/or esophagus to our colleagues who specialize in Digestive and Liver Diseases.