The Diagnostic Test Accuracy of Clinical Swallow Assessment for Oropharyngeal Aspiration: A Systematic Review
The JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports
Romano, M., Schultz, T., et al. (2014).
The JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 12(8), 259-329.
This systematic review and meta-analysis compares the diagnostic accuracy of clinical swallow assessments to the diagnostic accuracy of videofluoroscopic swallow studies for assessing oropharyngeal aspiration in individuals with dysphagia.
<div>"This paper highlights the lack of data available for diagnostic test accuracy of [the clinical swallow assessment] CSA in diagnosis of aspiration, for infants and children. This systematic review demonstrates that only one paper is available for this population. There [are] no data available for neurologically intact and normally developing children which is another area requiring research" (p. 284). </div>
<div>A number of clinical swallow assessments were reviewed, including: case history, cranial nerve assessment, food trials, and observation of clinical features at bedside. The findings of the review suggest that the clinical swallow assessment "is a reasonably accurate test for the assessment of aspiration in dysphagia patients" (p. 283). Overall summary of sensitivity and specificity were 71% and 76%, respectively, with the majority of participants studied diagnosed with stroke.</div>
