Kinematic evaluation of penetration and aspiration in laryngeal elevating and descending periods

Objectives: It is important to evaluate swallowing movements by dividing them into periods of laryngeal closure and release. The purpose of this study was to evaluate penetration–aspiration (PA) according to human pathophysiology and to identify the factors for predicting PA. Study Design: Case-control study. Methods: Eighty-one patients with complaints of dysphagia caused by various etiologies were enrolled in this study. Videofluoroscopic swallowing studies were conducted, and the spatial and temporal factors were analyzed by computer-assisted motion analysis. Results: The initiation of laryngeal vestibule closure in the laryngeal elevating period and its duration in the laryngeal descending period were significant factors for evaluating PA. Conclusion: A knowledge of the delay of laryngeal vestibule closure in the laryngeal elevating period and its short duration in the laryngeal descending period could make it easier to evaluate the risk of PA. Level of Evidence: 3b. Laryngoscope, 128:806–811, 2018.