Välkommen till forskningsseminarium #2 vid Enheten för logopedi med titeln “Biomechanics vs Physiology in Swallowing – The critical role of the cranial nerve examination in diagnostic specificity and rehabilitation planning”
A greater understanding of the complexities of swallowing and swallowing impairment mandate development of greater specificity in diagnosis and rehabilitation approaches. Whereas our very early approaches to assessment focuses on evaluating primarily bolus flow, clinical practices have evolved to a focus on biomechanical movement patterns that direct bolus flow.
As we are starting to better grasp the complexity of cortical control of swallowing, we now need to expand focus to address underlying pathophysiology that constrains or facilitates biomechanical movement. A standard component of the clinical swallowing assessment is the cranial nerve examination. But often, there is a disconnect between the information obtained from this assessment and the inferred application to swallowing biomechanics.
A focus of this seminar will be on the application of the clinical cranial nerve examination to justify further instrumental assessment and to consequently interpret the biomechanics seen with these tools. We will then further explore the expansion from biomechanics to underlying pathophysiology and how this critical distinction may drive selection of rehabilitation approaches.