Table 3.
Baseline and Final Functional Outcomes
| Previously Untreated |
Salvage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Final* | Baseline | Final* | |
| Feeding Tube | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trach | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Penetration/Aspiration** | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Diet | ||||
| Regular/Soft Unrestricted | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Regular/Soft restricted*** | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Tube + PO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NPO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| PSS-HN Speech Score | ||||
| 100 (“Always understandable”) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 75 (“Usually understandable”) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Abbreviations: PO, per oral; NPO, nothing per oral; PSS-HN, Performance Status Scale Head and Neck Cancer
*
Aspiration status and PSS-HN scores determined at time of final swallowing study; diet, feeding tube, and tracheostomy status at last follow-up.
**
Includes silent laryngeal penetration, sensate aspiration, and silent aspiration.
***
Dietary restrictions included the need for swallowing strategies or thickened liquids to control aspiration.