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Postoperative Dysphagia Aortica: Comparison with Other Dysphagia

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Abstract

Dysphagia can be classified as oropharyngeal or esophageal, and functional or structural deficits of the esophagus can cause esophageal dysphagia. Dysphagia aortica (DA) is defined as dysphagia caused by extrinsic compression of the esophagus by the aorta. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of DA by comparing the findings of videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) with those of other dysphagia. Sixty-seven patients with postoperative dysphagia aortica (PDA), dysphagia after brainstem infarction (DBI), dysphagia after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (DACDF), and subjective swallowing difficulty (SSD) without penetration and/or aspiration, who had undergone VFSS incorporating tests using 5 ml of thin and thick liquids, were included. The clinical data were collected retrospectively. The penetration-aspiration scale, functional dysphagia scale (FDS), esophageal transit time (ETT), and aortic lesion parameters (maximal diameter and distance between the lesion and the apex of the aortic arch) were assessed. The patients with PDA had higher FDS scores than the patients with SSD and lower scores than the patients with DBI did on thin liquids, while the FDS scores on thick liquids were lower in the patients with PDA than in those with DBI or DACDF. The patients with PDA had longer ETT than the other three groups. No correlation was found between the aortic lesion parameters and the VFSS findings. Although PDA has some oropharyngeal symptoms, the esophageal phase was affected mainly by PDA. After an operation on the aorta, VFSS should be considered before resuming oral feeding.

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Article Open access 09 November 2021

Serena Grimaldi, Pamela Milito, … Luigi Bonavina

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Daejeon Eulji University Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, 95 Dunsanseo-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon, 35233, Republic of Korea

    Jong Keun Kim, Sangpil Son, InHyuk Suh,  Jin Seok Bae &  Jong Youb Lim

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  1. Jong Keun Kim
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  2. Sangpil Son
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  3. InHyuk Suh
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  4. Jin Seok Bae
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Contributions

Conceptualization: JKK and JYL; Formal analysis and investigation: JKK, SS, IS and JSB; Writing—original draft preparation: JKK; Writing—review and editing: JYL.

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Correspondence to Jong Youb Lim.

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This study was conducted in accordance with the regulatory standards of Good Clinical Practice and the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) and was approved by the Institutional Review Board of our institution before study initiation. The requirement for informed consent was waived by the board because of the retrospective nature of this study.

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Kim, ., Son, S., Suh, I. et al. Postoperative Dysphagia Aortica: Comparison with Other Dysphagia. Dysphagia 37, 1112–1119 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-021-10370-9

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