Mrs. McCormick is having a SLP consult and a FEES test completed. What training does a speech-language therapist have? What is a FEES? What type of information will this provide for the MD and the RD?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• An SLP is a speech-language pathologist, who diagnoses and treats communication and swallowing disorders in patients. SLPs have a master's degree and are licensed in the state in which they are working. They should be aware of the physiology and physiopathology of swallowing and the principle disorders that cause dysphagia, as well as the maneuvers, exercises, and techniques used in rehabilitation.
• FEES: Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing is a first choice for studying swallowing disorders because of its various advantages (it is easy to use, well-tolerated by the patients, and economical and allows bedside examination).
• The FEES is limited in the information it can provide compared to a videofluoroscopy; it can only investigate the pharyngeal stage with a moment of "white-out" in the swallow. The evidence from FEES correlates well with other tests to detect pathological aspects such as aspiration of the bolus into the airways and the presence of bolus residue in the pharynx and pharyngeal-laryngeal area.