Dysphagia Dictionary

**Anterior**

nearer the front

**Apgar score**

immediate care of newborn infant at 1 minute and 5 minutes-check heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, color; scale of 0-1-2 for each = max score of 10

**Anterior sulci**

groove in the mouth between the gums and lips where food can get stuck

**A-P View**

Anterior-Posterior view

**Apneic period**

the airway closure period when there is no respiration and usually corresponds to the closure of the airway during the pharyngeal stage

**Aspiration**

the passage of material below the level of the vocal folds

**Atelectasis**

collapsed alveoli

**BSE**

bedside evaluation

**Barium**

a material that can be added to food or liquid to assist in seeing these on X-ray

**Bolus**

a collected mass of food or liquid

**Bolus head**

the leading edge of the bolus

**Buccal**

of or relating to the cheeks

**COPD**

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, any chronic lung disease that results in obstruction of the airways

**CSE**

Clinical Swallow Evaluation

**Cartilage**

a dense type of tissue

**Compensatory strategies**

modifications or behavioral strategies designed to bypass persistent impairment

**Cricopharyngeus muscle**

UES- this muscle must relax for the UES to open during swallowing

**Cuspids**

the teeth that are used to cut food

**Deglutition**

the act of swallowing

**Delayed initiation of swallow**

bolus head enters the pharynx; delayed to the valleculae; delayed to the pyriform

**Dipper**

tongue tip down during swallow

**Diagnosis**

the identification and/or determination of the nature and cause of a problem

**Dysphagia**

a swallowing disorder

**Eating disorder**

any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal eating habits (e.g., anorexia nervosa)

**Emesis**

vomiting; caustic to aspirate

**Enteral**

being fed through the stomach or duodenum via a tube

**Epiglottis**

a cartilage in your pharynx that is involved in the swallowing process

**Esophagus**

the natural tube that leads from the pharynx to the stomach

**Esophageal**

of or relating to the esophagus

**Esophageal stage/phase**

begins when the bolus passes through the UES to the esophagus and ends when the bolus passes through the LES into the stomach.

**Extrinsic**

having its origin some distance from the part that it moves

**Feeding disorder**

refusal to eat certain food groups, textures, solids or liquids for a period of at least one month, which causes an infant or child to not gain enough weight, grow naturally, develop normally.

**FEES**

Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing

**FOIS**

Functional Oral Intake Scale

**GERD**

gastroesophageal reflux disease

**Hyperreactive**

having or showing abnormally high sensitivity to stimuli

**Hypersensitive**

lower threshold for sensory information

**Hypertonicity**

high muscle tone

**Hypopharynx**

laryngopharynx; the inferior, or lower, part of the pharynx behind the larynx

**Hyporeactive**

having or showing abnormally low sensitivity to stimuli

**Hyposensitive**

not processing enough sensory information

**Hypotonicity**

low muscle tone

**Hyoid bone**

u-shaped bone in the neck that supports the tongue—anchoring structure for the tongue

**Iatrogenic**

of or relating to illness caused by medical examination or treatment

**Idiopathic**

relating to or denoting any disease or condition that arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown

**Incisors**

the teeth that are used to tear food

**Inferior**

low or lower in position

**Infiltrates**

in the alveoli and airways; infiltration of something

**Intrinsic**

contained wholly within the organ on which it acts

**Lateral sulci**

grooves in the mouth between the gums and cheek where food can get stuck

**Larynx**

the “voice box;” the larynx sits on top of the trachea

**Laryngeal**

of or relating to the larynx

**Laryngeal aditus**

the entrance to the larynx

**Laryngeal vestibule**

cavity of the larynx above the vocal folds

**Laryngopharynx**

hypopharynx; part of the pharynx behind the larynx

**Lateral sulci**

the grooves that you find between the gums and the cheeks

**LES—Lower esophageal sphincter**

the muscle separating the esophagus and stomach

**Ligament**

tough band of connective tissues (fibrous) that connect various structures, such as bones

**LPR**

laryngopharyngeal reflux

**MASA**

Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability

**Membrane**

a thin layer of tissue that covers a surface, lines a cavity, or divides a space or organ

**MNA**

Mini Nutritional Assessment

**MISA**

McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment

**Mastication**

chewing-the process by which food is crushed or ground by the teeth

**MBS or MBSS**

**Modiefied Barium Swallow Study**

**Molars**

the teeth that are used to grind food

**Nasal Cavity**

a large air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face; each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils

**Nasopharynx**

the upper part of the pharynx, connecting with the nasal cavity above the soft palate

**NPO**

nil per os-Latin for “nothing by mouth”

**Nutrition**

process by which living organisms obtain nutrients to sustain life, growth, and development

**Odynophagia**

painful swallowing

**Oral Cavity**

mouth or mouth cavity

**Oral Preparatory Phase**

begins when food enters the mouth and ends when anterior to posterior propulsion of the bolus begins in the oral cavity

**Oral Phase**

begins when the tongue tip elevates and propels the bolus back to toward the pharynx and ends when the bolus leaves the oral cavity

**Oropharynx**

middle part of the pharynx behind the mouth

**OTT**

Oral Transit Time – the amount of time it takes to push the bolus back in the oral cavity

**Palate**

roof of the mouth

**Penetration**

food or liquid entering the laryngeal vestibule TO the level of the VFs

**PES**

pharyngoesophageal segment

**Pharyngeal phase**

begins when bolus arrives at valleculae and ends when bolus passes through the UES/PES

**Pharynx**

the throat

**Pneumonia**

lung inflammation caused by a disease producing microorganism—pneumonitis +infectious process

**Pneumonitis**

lung inflammation

**PO**

per os- Latin for “by mouth”

**Pooling**

material entering the valleculae or pyriform sinuses before the swallow is triggered

**Posterior**

further back in position

**Posterior Pharyngeal Wall (PPW)**

the posterior wall of the pharynx – you can see the PPW when you open your mouth and look straight back

**PTT** – Pharyngeal Transit Time

the amount of time it takes the bolus to pass through the pharynx

**Pyriform sinus**

a cavity or depression in the pharynx where food or liquid may collect

**Pulse oximetry**

SaO2; taken on the finger; red and infrared light; want 90-100%

**Reflex**

an involuntary or automatic action or response

**Regurgitation**

expulsion of material from the pharynx, or esophagus, usually characterized by the presence of undigested food or blood.

**Residue**

materials remaining in the valleculae or pyriform sinuses after the swallow

**Secretions**

soften and help pass food to the stomach

**Sign**

something we observe; objective finding

**sEMG**

surface electromyography

**Soft palate**

velum; fleshy, flexible part toward the back of the roof of the mouth

**Stasis**

residue-materials left in the pharynx following the swallow

**Superior**

above something; high or higher in position

**Symptom**

subjective indication of a disease that is perceived by the patient or caregivers