Patient exposure during videofluoroscopic swallowing studies performed by speech-language pathologists

Videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSSs) are fluoroscopic examinations performed by speech and language pathologists (SLPs), for the evaluation of the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing, in patients who are diagnosed with symptoms like dysphagia and speech impairment. The study was focused on the evaluation of the patient doses from VFSS performed at Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals. Data on the patient exposure and examination parameters were extracted from the Radiation Dose Monitoring system, statistically analysed and compared with literature. For adult patients, the mean (median) values for fluoroscopy time and kerma-air product were 2.8 (2.7) min and 181 (144) cGycm(2), respectively. For children, the respective mean (median) values were 2.6 (2.4) min and 15.3 (9.2) cGycm(2). The results of the study indicate that the VFSS are performed by well-trained health professionals, and as a result, image quality sufficient for a confident diagnosis is obtained at relatively low dose levels.