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E. C. Ward, PhD; B. Bishop, BSpPath (Hons); J. Frisby, BSpThy; M. Stevens, MBBS

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2002;128:181-186.

Objectives  To determine the incidence of dysphagia (defined as the inability to manage a diet of normal consistencies) at hospital discharge and beyond 1 year postsurgery and examine the impact of persistent dysphagia on levels of disability, handicap, and well-being in patients.

Design  Retrospective review and patient contact.

Setting  Adult acute care tertiary hospital.

Patients  The study group, consecutively sampled from January 1993 to December 1997, comprised 55 patients who underwent total laryngectomy and 37 patients who underwent pharyngolaryngectomy with free jejunal reconstruction. Follow-up with 36 of 55 laryngectomy and 14 of 37 pharyngolaryngectomy patients was conducted 1 to 6 years postsurgery.

Main Outcome Measures  Number of days until the resumption of oral intake; swallowing complications prior to and following discharge; types of diets managed at discharge and follow-up; and ratings of disability, handicap, and distress levels related to swallowing.

Results  Fifty four (98%) of the laryngectomy and 37 (100%) of the pharyngolaryngectomy patients experienced dysphagia at discharge. By approximately 3 years postsurgery, 21 (58%) of the laryngectomy and 7 (50%) of the pharyngolaryngectomy patients managed a normal diet. Pharyngolaryngectomy patients experienced increased duration of nasogastric feeding, time to resume oral intake, and incidence of early complications affecting swallowing. Patients experiencing long-term dysphagia identified significantly increased levels of disability, handicap, and distress. Patients without dysphagia also experienced slight levels of handicap and distress resulting from taste changes and increased durations required to complete meals of normal consistency.

Conclusions  The true incidence of patients experiencing a compromise in swallowing following surgery has been underestimated. The significant impact of impaired swallowing on a patient's level of perceived disability, handicap, and distress highlights the importance of providing optimal management of this negative consequence of surgery to maximize the patient's quality of life.

From the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Dr Ward and Ms Bishop); and the Departments of Speech Pathology (Ms Frisby) and Ear, Nose, and Throat (Dr Stevens), Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.

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