Table 4.
Swallowing outcome measures by time point
| Outcome measures | 3 mths, n = 24, % (n) | 6 mths, n = 31, % (n) | 12 mths, n = 31, % (n) | p, 3 vs. 6 mths | p, 6 vs. 12 mths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAS | |||||
| Level 1-2 | 67 (16) | 65 (20) | 87 (27) | ||
| Levels 3-6 | 21 (5) | 16 (5) | 13 (4) | ||
| Levels 7-8 | 13 (3) | 19 (6) | 0 | 0.317 | 0.077a |
| FOIS | |||||
| Level 1 | 4 (1) | 3 (1) | 0 | ||
| Levels 2-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Levels 4-6 | 83 (20) | 74 (23) | 68 (21) | ||
| Level 7 | 13 (3) | 23 (7) | 32 (10) | 0.046 | 0.180a |
| MASA-C | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 177 (9.2) | 178 (13.7) | 186 (7.6) | ||
| Range | 154-187 | 120-192 | 174-198 | 0.450 | 0.001b |
| VHNSS subscale questions (Mean (SD)) | n = 20 | n = 27 | n = 27 | ||
| Swallow general | |||||
| Longer to eat due to swallowing (q13) | 5.2 (3.4) | 5.1 (4.0) | 3.9 (3.2) | 0.264 | 0.423b |
| Swallowing takes great effort (q12) | 3.0 (2.3) | 2.9 (2.7) | 2.2 (2.1) | 0.627 | 0.418b |
| Swallow solids | |||||
| Trouble eating certain solid foods (q5) | 6.2 (2.9) | 5.3 (3.4) | 4.1 (3.1) | 0.083 | 0.204c |
| Food stuck in mouth (q7) | 3.3 (2.4) | 3.0 (2.5) | 2.1 (1.5) | 0.937 | 0.024c |
| Food stuck in throat (q8) | 3.0 (2.5) | 4.0 (3.0) | 2.6 (2.1) | 0.667 | 0.083c |
| Cough after swallow (q11) | 2.4 (2.3) | 2.3 (2.4) | 1.7 (1.8) | 0.097 | 0.259c |
| Choke or strangle on solid foods (q10) | 1.8 (1.9) | 2.6 (2.6) | 1.4 (0.8) | 1.000 | 0.136c |
| Swallow liquids | |||||
| Choke or strangle on liquids (q9) | 1.7 (1.7) | 1.7 (1.8) | 1.1 (0.5) | 0.054 | 0.188c |
| Trouble drinking thin liquids (q6) | 1.6 (2.0) | 2.3 (2.4) | 1.0 (0.2) | 0.370 | 0.014c |
| Nutrition | |||||
| Lost appetite (q2) | 3.6 (2.3) | 3.2 (3.3) | 2.0 (2.2) | 0.685 | 0.004c |
| Liquid supplements to maintain weight (q3) | 3.6 (3.1) | 2.3 (2.2) | 1.6 (1.4) | 0.064 | 0.343c |
| Trouble maintaining weight due swallow (q4) | 3.1 (2.6) | 2.0 (2.3) | 1.3 (0.9) | 0.108 | 0.219c |
| Losing weight (q1) | 3.0 (2.9) | 2.4 (2.1) | 1.5 (1.1) | 0.149 | 0.113c |
Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding mths months, SD standard deviation, PAS penetration-aspiration scale, FOIS functional oral intake scale, MASA-C mann assessment of swallowing ability—cancer, VHNSS vanderbilt head and neck symptom survey, VHNSS scoring 1–3 mild, 4–6 moderate, 7–10 severe, p = p-value
aWilcoxon signed-rank test
bPaired t-test