SWALLOWING CLINIC

What We Do

Swallowing difficulty, or dysphagia, is common for people with neurological conditions, head and neck cancer or after some surgeries or illnesses. Patients are referred to the Swallowing Clinic to undergo assessment of their swallowing for identification, management and treatment of dysphagia.

At the Swallowing Clinic, you will meet with a Speech Language Pathologist, He will ask you questions about what you eat, test the muscles in your mouth and throat and watch you swallow. You may also have an x-ray of how you swallow, called a Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study. After the x-ray of how you swallow, the SLP and RD will show you the x-ray, review the results of assessments and may make some recommendations for you.

Tests/Services

• Nutrition Assessment
• Oral Motor Assessment
• Clinical Swallowing Assessment

For some patients, the following tests may also be ordered:

• Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) - moving x-ray of how you swallow
• Fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) – a scope through the nasal passage used to directly view the throat during swallowing